office hotline office of inspector general · pdf filefinal report on the program evaluation...

To: Sheila Crowley, Chief Executive Officer

Jean Seigle, Acting Regional Director/ Chief of Operations, EMA Operations

Kate Becker, Country Director, Albania

Angela Kissel, Acting Chief Compliance Officer

From: Kathy Buller, Inspector General

Date: December 12, 2017

Subject: Final Report on the Program Evaluation of Peace Corps/Albania (IG-18-02-E)

Transmitted for your information is our final report on the Program Evaluation of Peace

Corps/Albania.

Management concurred with 21 of 22 recommendations, but did not concur with

recommendation 14, which we closed. Twenty recommendations, numbers 1-10 and 12-13, 15-

17 and 20-22, remain open pending confirmation from the chief compliance officer that the

documentation identified in management’s response has been received. In its response,

management described actions it is taking or intends to take to address the issues that prompted

each of our recommendations. OIG will review and consider closing recommendations 1-10, 12-

13, 15-17 and 20-22 when the documentation reflected in the OIG’s comments and the agency’s

response to the preliminary report is received. For recommendations 11 and 18, additional

documentation is required. OIG closed recommendation 19 based on documentation submitted

and reviewed.

We wish to note that in closing recommendations, we are not certifying that the agency has taken

these actions or that we have reviewed their effect. Certifying compliance and verifying

effectiveness are management’s responsibilities. However, when we feel it is warranted, we may

conduct a follow-up review to confirm that action has been taken and to evaluate the impact.

Our comments, which are in the report as Appendix E, address these matters. Please respond

with documentation to close the remaining open recommendations within 90 days of the receipt

of this memorandum.

You may address questions regarding follow-up or documentation to Assistant Inspector General

for Evaluation Jeremy Black at 202.692.2912.

Please accept our thanks for your cooperation and assistance in our review.

cc: Kathy Stroker, Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Office of Inspector General Office Hotline 800.233.5874 ׀ 202.692.2915 202.692.2900Website OIG Reports

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mailto:[email protected]

Carl Sosebee, Acting Chief of Staff Matthew McKinney, Deputy Chief of Staff/White House Liaison Robert Shanks, General Counsel Kristin Besch, Acting Associate Director of Global Operations Chris Wrona Giallongo, Acting Chief of Programming and Training, EMA Operations

Dana Abro, Regional Security Advisor, EMA Operations Douglas Warnecke, Chief Administrative Officer, EMA Operations Nathan Mishler, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, EMA Operations OhnSoon Kim, Albania/Kosovo/Macedonia Country Desk Officer Stephanie Rust, Director, Overseas Programming and Training Support Jill Carty, Acting Associate Director, Office of Health Services Shawn Bardwell, Associate Director for Safety and Security IGChron IG

Final Country Program EvaluationPeace Corps/Albania

IG-18-02-EDecember 2017

A Volunteer and her English Club students.

PEACE CORPS

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INSPECTORGENERAL

Final Program Evaluation Report: Peace Corps/Albania (IG-18-02-E) i

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACKGROUND

More than 700 Peace Corps Volunteers have served the people of Albania since the program was

first launched in 1992. Peace Corps left Albania in 1997 due to political instability. Peace

Corps/Albania (the post) re-opened in September of 2003. There are currently 3 projects in

Albania: English education (TEFL), health education (HE), and community and organizational

development (COD). At the onset of this Office of Inspector General (OIG) evaluation, 137

Volunteers and trainees were serving in Albania.

WHAT WE FOUND

Programming, Training and Evaluation

Albania is more developed than many countries

where Peace Corps operates. We found that

Peace Corps/Albania needed to develop a

strategy to focus the program on the needs of

youth and underserved populations in poor areas

of the country, as the Peace Corps Act requires.

The post should leverage the strong partner

relationships it has built to redirect activities to

identify and benefit at-risk groups.

Peace Corps/Albania’s training program had

several strengths, including its training team, a

well-developed 27-month learning continuum,

and its approach to assessing training. The

programming team also participated effectively

in training. We identified that the post should

improve some training areas, including technical

training on key skills Volunteers needed in their

work, and intercultural training to support their

social integration. We advised the post to revisit

its decision not to join the TEFL certificate

program since the program could address some

of the obstacles education Volunteers faced.

Volunteers were not all using the Peace Corps approach to community assessment, and the post

should update its training in this area to take advantage of recent guidance and tools. Also, we

recommended that the post provide more consistent messaging to Volunteers about what

constitutes a secondary project.

Map of Albania Source: UN

Final Program Evaluation Report: Peace Corps/Albania (IG-18-02-E) ii

According to Volunteers’ performance reports, they were achieving most of the projects’

objectives, and were on track to achieve 5-year project goals. Programming staff gave

Volunteers timely feedback on their reports, and they used data from Volunteer reports to make

programmatic decisions and share information on project impacts with partners. However,

program staff needed better direction on what to prioritize when reviewing and providing

feedback to Volunteers about their reports so that staff spend less time identifying and fixing

Volunteers’ reporting errors and more time providing substantive feedback to Volunteers about

their work.

All staff at the post worked together on site development, including the safety and security

manager and Peace Corps medical officers. Volunteers’ housing met the housing criteria, and

site history files were well organized and used during the site development process. There was

potential to improve site development by verifying that Volunteers’ assigned host agencies and

counterparts needed the Volunteers’ assistance and could work effectively with the Volunteers.

We found that the post did not have a formal site development/selection strategy or finalized site

development standard operating procedures.

Volunteer Support

The post was well prepared for emergencies and exhibited an effective response to crimes and

risks Volunteers faced. The post should ensure that global positioning system (GPS) data is

recorded for all Volunteer sites to make it easier to locate Volunteers in an emergency. Like

many other posts, ensuring Volunteers’ compliance with the whereabouts policy was a challenge.

The post was in the process of addressing this issue.

The medical unit experienced some challenges in the past, but with two new medical officers and

significant temporary duty staff support from the Office of Health Services in Peace

Corps/Washington, these challenges were being resolved. The post was also undertaking a major

construction project to improve access, ensure greater confidentiality, and improve the quality of

the medical facilities. The capacity of post’s medical officers to respond to the mental health care

needs of Volunteers requires strengthening. Also, the medical unit must have an updated medical

action plan to ensure full preparedness for a medical emergency. This was also in process during

the evaluation. The post should take steps to ensure that Volunteers are aware of the Quality

Nurse Line.

Some Volunteers expressed frustration with abrupt policy changes. The country director had

worked hard to make sure that staff provided consistent messaging about policy changes in the

Volunteer Handbook, but there was still some confusion among Volunteers. Some volunteers

said that their concerns were not always well understood by some members of senior staff.

Training all senior and programming and training staff on professional coaching could result in

more consistent support.

Final Program Evaluation Report: Peace Corps/Albania (IG-18-02-E) iii

Leadership and Management

The country director was appropriately focused on rectifying deficiencies in management. Staff,

in general, reported that they felt sufficiently consulted about decisions that affected their job.

All post staff participated in planning meetings and articulated their priorities for the upcoming

year.

The post could improve the well-being of Volunteers by continuing the process of reviewing

living allowances to bring them in line with the economic requirement of living at the same level

as people in their host community. Settling-in allowances could also be revisited to ensure every

Volunteer can equip their home adequately depending on their living situation.

RECOMMENDATIONS IN BRIEF

Our report contains 22 recommendations, which, if implemented, should strengthen post

operations and correct the deficiencies detailed in the accompanying report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... i

Background .....................................................................................................................................................i

What we Found...............................................................................................................................................i

Recommendations in Brief ......................................................................................................................... iii

Host Country Background ............................................................................................................1

Peace Corps Program Background ..............................................................................................1

Evaluation Results .........................................................................................................................3

Programming, Training and Evaluation ..................................................................................................... 3

Volunteer Support ....................................................................................................................................... 19

Leadership and Management ..................................................................................................................... 26

List of Recommendations ............................................................................................................31

Appendix A: Objective, Scope, and Methodology ....................................................................33

Appendix B: Interviews Conducted ...........................................................................................35

Appendix C: List of Acronyms ...................................................................................................39

Appendix D: Agency Response to the Preliminary Report ......................................................40

Appendix E: OIG Comments ......................................................................................................52

Appendix F: Program Evaluation Completion and OIG Contact .........................................55

Final Program Evaluation Report: Peace Corps/Albania (IG-18-02-E)

1

HOST COUNTRY BACKGROUND

Albania is a small European country, which borders both

the Adriatic and Ionian Sea. It is similar in size to the state

of Maryland. Albania gained its independence from the

Ottoman Empire during the First Balkan War in 1912 when

its modern borders were established. These borders, drawn

by the European powers, excluded almost half of former

Albanian lands and approximately three million Albanians.

Following World War II, Enver Hoxha, became Albania’s

dictatorial leader and expelled all foreigners. Under Hoxha,

Albania suffered from repression and isolation from the rest

of the world until his death in 1985. Albania became a

democracy in the early 1990s. At that time, Albania’s

underdeveloped financial sector allowed for the growth of

pyramid schemes, which caused the Albanian economy to

collapse when these schemes failed in 1997. Massive

rioting resulted in the death of over 2,000 people and the

government briefly lost control of the country. In the most

recent national elections held in June of 2017, the Socialist

Party retained control of the government and gained the

majority of seats, enabling it to push ahead on reforms

required for entry into the European Union.

Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe, with 14.3 percent of Albanians living below

the poverty line. Remittances from the Albanian diaspora in Greece and Italy have been ‘a

significant catalyst for economic growth,’ but have declined significantly since the 2008 global

financial crisis. Agriculture accounts for almost half of employment, but is limited primarily to

small family operations and subsistence farming. The private sector, while growing, suffers from

complex tax codes and licensing requirements, a weak judicial system, corruption, poor

enforcement of contracts, and antiquated infrastructure.

Albania enjoys a 99 percent adult literacy rate. Of the children eligible for school enrollment, 92

percent are enrolled in primary schools, and 78 percent attend secondary school. Albania falls in

the top third of Peace Corps countries with respect to the Human Development Index.

PEACE CORPS PROGRAM BACKGROUND

Albania and the United States reestablished diplomatic relations in March 1991 after a 35-year

break. Shortly thereafter, the Albanian government invited the Peace Corps into the country.

More than 700 Volunteers have served in Albania since the program’s inception in 1991. The

first group of 21 Volunteers arrived in June 1992 to teach English in secondary schools and

universities. In 1997, Volunteers were evacuated and the post closed after the fraudulent pyramid

Three generations of Volunteers in Peshkopi pose with a statue of the Albanian hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu.


2

savings schemes threatened the country’s stability. The post re-opened in 2003 with Volunteers

working in community and organizational development (COD). The following year, the post

opened its English education (TEFL) and health education (HE) projects. These three projects

continue to operate today. Post receives one input of approximately 50 Volunteers per year.

Staff turnover in the last couple of years, particularly for the U.S. direct-hire (USDH) staff,

caused a significant amount of stress on the post. In September 2015, the former country director

departed abruptly, followed shortly thereafter by the director of management and operations. The

replacement director of management and operations remained at the post for a little over a year

before also leaving unexpectedly in February 2017. From late 2015 through 2016, post had

vacancies in the director of management and operations and country director positions for a total

of 284 days. In 2017 there was a 175 day gap in the director of management and operations

position. For 2016 alone, this was more than three times both the global and regional average. In

addition, the post also lost its safety and security officer and safety and security manager when

they departed from post in June of 2017. Headquarters sent a number of temporary duty staff to

support the post during the periods of staff vacancies and to provide mentoring for the two new

medical officers hired within the last year.

Community and Organizational Development. COD Volunteers worked with local

government municipalities and non-governmental organizations in a variety of areas, including

business development, tourism/cultural development, municipal development, communications

management, and technology capacity-building. The goals of the COD project were (1) for local

organizations and community groups to strengthen their management and organizational skills

and processes, and (2) for individuals to increase their capacity to participate in local community

and civil society development. The COD project primarily assigned Volunteers to work with

local government municipalities. In 2014, the Government of Albania implemented a

comprehensive reform of territorial governance which reduced the number of local

municipalities from 373 to 61. This reform, along with the local elections of 2015, impacted the

availability of counterparts and host agencies for COD Volunteers. Recently, post stopped

assigning Volunteers to work with municipalities as urban planners because the need for urban

planning support was being met by consultants hired by the government. At the time of the

evaluation there were 43 COD Volunteers.

English Education. TEFL Volunteers co-taught English as a foreign language in a high school

or combined elementary/middle school setting. Volunteers typically co-taught alongside an

Albanian English teacher during their first year, but some Volunteers taught on their own in the

second year. Volunteers also worked with students to improve critical thinking and problem

solving, often through after-school activities. The goals of the TEFL project were: (1) to improve

the English language proficiency, teaching methods, and resource development skills of English

teachers and instructors; (2) to improve students’ English proficiency, communication, and life

skills through English instruction in the classroom and through extracurricular activities; and (3)

to strengthen the collaboration between education stakeholders and increase their participation in

the school community. PC/Albania no longer assigns Volunteers to work at universities. This

was due in part to the inconsistency of the scheduling of the academic year, and an inability of

Volunteers to address community needs at this level. At the time of the evaluation there were 67

TEFL Volunteers.


3

Health Education. HE Volunteers either co-taught health education at the high school or

combined elementary/middle school level, or worked across multiple schools co-teaching with

the Albanian “Life Skills” teachers. In addition, some Volunteers provided staff training at health

centers. HE Volunteers were primarily placed in smaller towns and rural areas. The goals of the

HE project were (1) for youth to adopt behaviors and practices that contribute to improved

sexual and reproductive health and (2) for youth to develop the life skills necessary to make

healthy choices to positively impact their lives as well as the lives of the people around them.

The post reviewed the HE project in 2014 with assistance from the Office of Global Health and

HIV. Around the same time, the Ministry of Education implemented a pilot program to introduce

youth sexual health and reproductive health topics into the country’s education curriculum. As a

result, Peace Corps decided to support the Ministry of Education’s pilot program by placing HE

Volunteers in schools to promote these topics. The post did not receive any Volunteers in the HE

sector in 2015 allowing staff to focus on redesigning the project. The HE Volunteers who arrived

in 2016 were the first to implement the new HE project. At the time of the evaluation there were

26 HE Volunteers.

The post’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 operational budget was approximately $1.6 million USD.1 The

last OIG evaluation of PC/Albania took place in 2008.

EVALUATION RESULTS

This evaluation addresses researchable questions in the following topic areas:

Programming, Training, and Evaluation

Volunteer Support

Post Leadership and Management

PROGRAMMING, TRAINING AND EVALUATION

Programming, training and evaluation were assessed using the following researchable questions:

Is the program focused on the country’s stated development priorities, in the poorest

areas of the country?

How well qualified and prepared are Volunteers for service?

Are Volunteers achieving project objectives? How are staff using monitoring, reporting

and evaluation results?

1 This amount does not include the salaries, benefits, and related cost of U.S. direct hires assigned to the post and

other costs the agency has determined should be centrally-budgeted.


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Does the site development process provide Volunteers with an environment conducive to

Volunteer success? Are sites, housing, and work assignments appropriate and meeting all

established criteria?

This evaluation examined whether the program focused on the country’s stated development

priorities, in the poorest areas of the country, as stipulated in the Peace Corps Act. This question

was particularly pertinent because “Albania has a lower level of need compared to 83% of Peace

Corps countries in the world and 65% of countries in the [Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia

(EMA)] region” according to a headquarters staff member, referring to Albania’s ranking on the

UN Human Development Index compared to other Peace Corps countries. The evaluation

determined that post programming could be improved by greater focus on youth and underserved

populations. We found no significant areas of concern that would necessitate action by the post

regarding stakeholder engagement, as there were memoranda of understanding with host country

stakeholders, there was a high level of engagement of local partners, and well constituted project

advisory committees were active. The training program was also very strong due to the

availability of highly competent training staff, the solid participation of program staff, the

existence of a 27 month learning continuum, and compliance with language proficiency

interview procedures. The training team’s effective implementation of the global learning

standards was particularly commendable. The programming team’s use of data in project

management was notable. They also provided timely feedback on Volunteer reports. The safety

and security manager and medical staff participated in site development.

Areas of No Concern Regarding Programming, Training, and Evaluation:

Memoranda of understanding with Albanian partners. According to post staff, the

memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Education is being updated

after elections held in June of 2017. The post was in the process of establishing a new

MOU with the Ministry of Health and, at the time of evaluation, was considering

developing an MOU with the Ministry of Social Welfare.

Positive engagement with local partners. The level of engagement and communications

with local officials was satisfactory, although some post staff would like to have more

time available for building relationships. Partners with whom we met appreciated the

positive communication and effective collaboration with Peace Corps. PC/Albania’s

leadership at the Model United Nations Conference, organized in collaboration with the

United Nations, U.S. Embassy and Ministry of Education was laudable. Also, the Peace

Corps’ Girls Leading Our World camps created opportunities for partners to reach

beneficiaries with health messages. The post produced an annual report for FY 2016 in

English and Albanian language which it distributed to local stakeholders, partners, and

counterparts.

Project advisory committees (PAC). Each project had a PAC which included key

stakeholders and which held meetings in March and April of FY 2017. A senior staff

person at the post mentioned that PACs will be part of the post’s communications

strategy in the future. The post saw PACs as an excellent mechanism for updating


5

stakeholders on Volunteers’ activities and accomplishments. One partner felt that the

PAC was helpful because Peace Corps was open to concerns he shared.

Effective recruitment of training staff. The post was able to recruit sufficiently

qualified trainers in time for training. During fieldwork, local Albanian staff said that

most of the short-term language and technical trainers returned to work with them every

year. “Overall, most of the team is returning.” This is a strength of the PC/Albania

training program.

Program managers were sufficiently involved in training. During fieldwork, program

managers, the director of programming and training, and the training manager all

concurred that program manager involvement during training was sufficient. The

program managers played an important role in designing and providing technical training.

For example, the TEFL program manager and assistants gave feedback to trainees after

observing them teach in Albanian classrooms as a training exercise.

27-month learning continuum. The post used an Excel workbook to track Volunteers’

progress in relation to the objectives of training and events over their 27-months of

service. Most Volunteers said they received the training when they needed it and felt

they could apply the training within a reasonable amount of time.

The post complied with language proficiency interview requirements. The post tested

and recorded Volunteers’ Albanian language proficiency, as required, at the end of pre-

service training, at an in-service training event, and at the completion of service. The

agency used trained and qualified testers to conduct the language proficiency interviews

with all trainees and Volunteers.

The post complied with the standards for assessing trainees’ readiness to serve. The

post produced a trainee assessment portfolio (TAP) document for trainees, and conducted

appropriate assessments during pre-service training. According to the training manager:

The TAP itself is one way, among many other ways, we track and observe their performance. We

address, encourage, and celebrate in a timely fashion. The communication system we have helps

ensure that we are on the right track--that they are ready to take off after [pre-service training

(PST)].

The training manager did not report any challenges in implementing the TAP. Albania

had been a pilot post and early adopter of the TAP when the agency promoted a set of

learning standards for all Volunteers. All staff involved in training understood that they

played a role in the training assessment process.

Post staff were using project-level data in project management. The post used

Volunteer performance data from the Volunteer reporting tool (VRT) for project

management and shared it with Volunteers and stakeholders. The country director set the

expectations that staff use data to inform feedback to the Volunteers, and the director of

programming and training prepared a data report after each reporting period. Program

staff also provided Volunteers with timely feedback on their reports. One post staff


6

member reported during field interviews that she found the process of doing an in-depth

review of the data in Volunteer reports useful.

Key staff were involved in site development and approval, placement and housing.

The safety and security manager was involved in the site development processes, from

managing standard operating procedures related to site development and site history files,

to training new staff on site development procedures, and even coordinating the housing

inspection process. We inspected the post’s site history files and found that staff had

reviewed and approved sites and housing that met the post’s health and safety criteria,

and that approvals were documented in the files. Once the site history file was created for

each site, key staff met to review and approve the sites, including the safety and security

manager, the medical officer, the director of programming and training, the program

managers, and the country director. The safety and security manager and medical officer

were required to sign off on the site assignment approval form. According to the draft

site development standard operating procedures (SOP) pertaining to inspection of homes,

the safety and security manager and director of management and operations were

responsible for training staff on how to do house inspections during the site development

process. The medical officers provided suggestions regarding accommodations and

health-related housing issues.

Areas of Programming, Training and Evaluation that Require Management Attention

There were several aspects of programming which required management attention, particularly

fulfilling the Peace Corps mission of serving people in the poorest areas of Albania.

Volunteer sites and assignments were not focused on meeting the needs of people in the

poorest areas of Albania.

The Peace Corps Act established the mission of the Peace Corps as:

…to promote world peace and friendship through a Peace Corps, which shall make available to interested

countries and areas men and women of the United States qualified for service abroad and willing to serve,

under conditions of hardship if necessary, to help the peoples of such countries and areas in meeting their

needs for trained manpower, particularly in meeting the basic needs of those living in the poorest areas of

such countries [emphasis added], and to help promote a better understanding of the American people on

the part of the peoples served and a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the American

people.

Most Volunteers were not assigned to work with poor beneficiaries. According to our review of

information in the Volunteer information database application (VIDA), only 17.5 percent of

Volunteer site assignments were in the poorest areas of the country. Safety and security

constraints restricted the post’s ability to place Volunteers in some of the poorest northern

regions of Albania. However, the post had opportunities to prioritize more underserved areas and

underserved populations within the areas where Volunteers were located. For example, one

senior staff member mentioned that the post had assigned a small number of education

Volunteers to vocational or specialized schools as a way to reach more underserved groups.


7

During fieldwork, 91 percent of Volunteers interviewed2 said that they were not serving the

poorest people in their primary assignments. Several Volunteer comments include:

Where I was originally assigned is the richest school here.

I do not feel that I am serving the poorest community here in Albania.

I’m serving the broader community … which is the poorest region in Albania, but I am not serving the

poorest people in Albania. The people who are able to work with me, and I have the capacity to help, are

more on the privileged side.

Many of the Volunteers interviewed identified the poorest people in Albania as the Roma, 78

percent of whom are living in poverty. They are severely disadvantaged in terms of access to

education, healthcare, and opportunities for employment.

We did not find evidence in project documentation, site selection criteria, or training that the post

had placed a priority on meeting the needs of underserved, poor populations. Working with

underserved or poor populations was not mentioned in the goals or objectives of the three project

frameworks. Programming staff did not reference opportunities to work with disadvantaged

groups as programmatic site selection criteria. For example, the TEFL project Volunteer request

form did not ask the school to provide any information about the wealth/income status of

students at the school. When reviewing criteria for selecting sites, the health education project

did not look at the economic profile of the intended beneficiaries of the Volunteer’s activities.

According to a staff member, the TEFL and HE projects did not have official criteria to evaluate

whether a school served poor or affluent student populations. The site selection criteria listed in

the post’s draft site development standard operating procedures did not mention the need for staff

to identify opportunities for Volunteers to serve the poor. The site/community survey did not ask

about the distribution of wealth in the community. Working with the poor was also not

mentioned in the brochure or letter used to educate potential host agencies about the work of

Peace Corps. Finally, according to one staff member, trainees in a recent PST did not receive any

specific training on how to work with poorer populations in Albania.

We assessed that some Volunteers thought their service was less meaningful because they were

not assigned to work with those most in need. For example, one Volunteer explained:

At the one year mark I took stock and sometimes I feel bad that I am working a lot with the youth center

where the kids are well off. I justify it by saying that these are tomorrow’s leaders, so it is good to invest. I

would like to do more with the underserved communities.

Some Volunteers we interviewed did not believe they were making a difference. As one

Volunteer said: “When I first got here, I did not feel like I was really making a difference for

these people.” Further, in the All-Volunteer Survey (AVS) a lower percent of Albania

Volunteers found their overall Peace Corps service rewarding (82 percent), compared to

Volunteers in the EMA region (89 percent) and Volunteers globally (90 percent).

2 Volunteer interviews were conducted in-country using a standardized interview questionnaire.


8

PC/Albania could improve Volunteers’ sense of accomplishment with their service by enabling

them to achieve the Peace Corps mission of working more directly with underserved populations.

Some Volunteers used secondary activities to reach underserved communities with whom they

were not assigned to work, indicating that the post could take a more purposeful approach to

assigning and training Volunteers for work which benefits the poor. PC/Albania staff asserted

that they would like to create more opportunities for Volunteers to work with underserved

populations by placing Volunteers in smaller communities. However, the post put many

Volunteers in larger communities with more resources because most of the country’s population

lives in larger cities. In order to take a more systematic approach to this issue, the post will need

to consider how to meet the needs of underserved groups in all Volunteer sites whether small

communities, rural areas, or larger cities.

We recommend:

1. That the country director and director of programming and training

develop a strategy for integrating a focus on Albanian underserved

populations into programming, training, and monitoring and

evaluation.

Post lacked a site selection strategy and a final version of the site development standard

operating procedures.

Peace Corps requires posts to have a site selection strategy. According to the Programming,

Training and Evaluation Guidance, E.1. Site Selection Strategy: “A site strategy defines a

project’s geographic focus, clustering strategy, use of rural versus urban sites, site selection

criteria, and length of project assistance at each site.” Also, the Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia

(EMA) region site development guidance specifies that the director of programming and training

is responsible for “articulating a comprehensive strategy” for site development. PC/Albania’s

programming and training staff had discussed the elements of a site development strategy in a

staff meeting, but did not have a formal document which captured their conclusions and plans

for site development each year. Additionally agency records indicated that since 2013 the post

has lacked a final version of its site development standard operating procedures, which can lead

to confusion among staff and inconsistent site development and selection.

In section E.1.5 the guidance states that a post’s site selection strategy “should define the number

of sequential Volunteers to be placed in each site (usually two or three), and the roles that

sequential Volunteers will play” in moving toward the project goals. PC/Albania did not specify

the number of sequential Volunteers who should serve in a site before it is closed or rested.

According to our analysis, multiple generations of Volunteers have served at most sites in

Albania since 2003. For example, we identified five large towns where post had placed from 17

to 22 Volunteers, one after another. Staff and Volunteers in Albania observed that it is harder for

Volunteers to culturally integrate when living in larger towns and cities. One staff member

observed that: “Volunteers in big Albanian sites are not as embraced by their community as in

smaller communities where the presence of foreigners has been very scarce.” Another staff

member said: “I want to see Volunteers moving out of larger cities where many Volunteers live


9

now, into smaller communities. I feel this will improve integration and enable Volunteers to do

more of the work in line with Peace Corps goals.”

Eighty-eight percent of Albanian Volunteers reported on the AVS that they were not the first

Volunteer at their site, compared with 68.5 percent of Volunteers in EMA and 66.8 percent of

Volunteers globally. During field interviews, several Volunteers mentioned challenges with

serving at a site where there have been many preceding generations. Some of the problems they

encountered included being compared with their predecessors, having set expectations for what

they should do, and meeting resistance to doing activities because people in the community said

they have already done the same types of things with previous Volunteers. One Volunteer

reported that: “The Volunteer I replaced was not prepared to be in [this work setting.] She did

not meet my personal professional standards and set a very skewed perception of my role.” Even

though senior staff advocated using smaller sites, and staff said they tried to have a balance

between replacement sites and new sites, this was not evident in the sample of Volunteer sites

we visited. Only 1 out of 21 Volunteers visited said they were the first Volunteer at their site. If

post had a formal site development strategy approved by the country director as stipulated in the

guidance, it would be possible to hold staff accountable to achieving their stated goals of having

a balance between new and replacement sites and placing Volunteers in smaller towns.

We recommend:

2. That the director of programming and training lead development of an

annual site development strategy which is consistent with agency

criteria and guidance.

3. That the director of programming and training finalize Peace

Corps/Albania’s site development standard operating procedures.

Site development needed improvement.

The Peace Corps Manual, section 270.6, establishes the critical importance of having good work

assignments and sites for a safe and effective volunteer service. In addition, the EMA Region

Site Development Standards (4.2), specify that “Volunteers have meaningful jobs that respond to

priority community needs at their sites.”

Volunteers in all three project areas encountered problems in carrying out their primary

assignments with their host agencies. In the HE project, health program staff had begun in 2015

to assign HE Volunteers to schools rather than health clinics as part of a pilot program with the

Ministry of Education. All of the HE Volunteers interviewed struggled to find sufficient work in

schools and said that Albanian teachers didn’t understand their roles. Volunteers reported that

they had to force their way into teaching in the classrooms and that teachers and students were

not receptive to the health topics. As one Volunteer expressed the challenge, “I thought [the

biggest obstacle] would be the taboo of speaking about [youth sexual and reproductive health


10

topics] but I feel like I am not even getting the chance.” Also, the curriculum included health

topics only for a short period in the spring, and teachers and students were absent from schools

during open periods when they could do extra classes beyond the required curriculum.

Project advisory committee (PAC) members for TEFL were concerned that Volunteers’

expectations of co-teaching with Albanian teachers were not being met. TEFL Volunteers

reported that their counterpart teachers often did not live near the school and were not present in

the evenings or weekends to do extra-curricular activities or lesson planning. Volunteers

complained that their counterparts expected them to take over teaching classes and did not want

to co-teach with them:

There is willful misunderstanding of the fact that Volunteers are not supposed to be replacement teachers.

I think our situation in the schools is poorly thought out, and I don't think it functions as intended most of

the time. I think if we are placed in the schools, we should be here as extra resources to help

advanced/dedicated students, not as glorified teaching assistants who provide occasional dictionary

services.

COD Volunteers said that they were not able to work effectively on organizational development,

and most mentioned struggling in their assignments with the municipal offices (bashkias).

During field interviews, COD Volunteers described problems including a lack of need for their

services, a politicized environment, and too few people with whom to work. They also

mentioned being assigned mundane clerical tasks such as making photocopies or doing data

entry. Members of the COD PAC proposed developing Volunteer assignments that emphasized

building capacity in areas such as youth employability, volunteerism, business development,

tourism, and support for people with special needs, for which Peace Corps can recruit and train

Volunteers to work more effectively.

Post staff said that they met and trained counterparts during the site development process, and

yet, Volunteer responses on our Volunteer survey indicated that a third of counterparts and

almost half of local officials were unclear about the Volunteer’s role. During field interviews,

Volunteers in all three projects reported that counterparts lacked interest or motivation, were not

present at site or were frequently absent from work, and did not have time to work with them. A

couple of HE Volunteers mentioned that teachers did not want to do lesson plans or be involved

in the health sessions. Peace Corps also encouraged Volunteers to find additional counterparts at

site. Over half of the Volunteers we interviewed had better working relationships with the

counterparts they found than the Peace Corps designated counterpart.

The post did not have clear programmatic criteria for the selection of sites, which would enable

staff to rank or prioritize sites based on potential for Volunteers to succeed in their work. The

draft site development SOP mentioned “the viability of the Volunteer assignment,” as a criterion

for site selection, but did not provide details about how this was to be assessed. Post staff

indicated on the site assessment checklist using check boxes if the requesting organization

expressed need for the skills that the Volunteers could provide. There was also a criterion

requiring an assigned “adequate counterpart,” and relevant questions on the first and second site

identification report forms. However, the draft site development SOP did not specify how to

evaluate these criteria during the site development process.


11

We assessed that an additional factor contributing to sub-optimal site development outcomes was

the misallocation of responsibilities among staff. For example, the previous safety and security

manager was tasked with a large role in the site development process that went beyond the scope

of her work, including negotiating leases with landlords and compiling information used by the

finance team to prepare sites. In 2017 the post implemented a new policy requiring all

Volunteers to live with host families, so post staff had to focus site development efforts on

finding suitable host families for the first time as part of the site development process. The EMA

Region did not grant the post permission to hire a homestay coordinator to support this work.

As a result of these issues with site

development, many Volunteers did not feel

they were meeting community needs or had

productive work assignments. Sixty-three

percent of Education volunteers interviewed in

Albania expressed that they sometimes did not

have enough work in their primary

assignments. All of the health Volunteers said

that there was not enough work. Sixty-six

percent of the COD Volunteers reported that

there was not enough work under their primary

assignment. (See Figure 1)

During the field interviews, half of the

Volunteers in each sector said that their

community needs were not a good fit with their

Volunteer assignment and project goals.

One person said their host agency directed

them to just sit in [a room] with the door

locked because their counterpart didn’t know

what they were supposed to be doing.

To overcome some of the problems associated

with their primary assignments, many Volunteers changed their host agency and sought out new

counterparts:

I am venturing beyond my primary assignment by introducing myself to [counterparts] at the [different host

agency].

I was thinking about leaving because of the issues with the [host agency]. I told Peace Corps I really like [a

different agency]. My [program manager] was crafty in figuring out a way for me to work with them-

having them fill out a Volunteer request, so I am able to be officially assigned to the [other agency].

I have 9 counterparts I work with on a weekly basis. I work with them on projects. One of them, [name] at

the [host agency], was assigned to me. She encouraged me to go work [at a different host agency], she saw

that I was having problems at the [originally assigned host agency].

Figure 1: Sufficient work opportunities in primary assignment. (22 respondents) Source: Volunteer interviews

63% 66%

100%

37% 34%

0%

T E F L C O D H E

Are there sufficient opportunities for work in your

primary assignment?

Work insufficient Sufficient work


12

We recommend:

4. That the director of programming and training include in the post’s site

development standard operating procedures, clear processes, and

project-specific programmatic criteria for assessing the viability of

meaningful Volunteer assignments at potential host agencies.

5. That the director of programming and training improve how staff

involved in site development vet and prepare motivated counterparts to

engage Volunteers in meaningful work.

6. That the country director and director for programming and training

assess the alignment of staff roles and responsibilities so that program

staff focus more of their time on program management rather than

addressing issues with Volunteer housing and host families.

There were gaps in technical training.

The Peace Corps Manual, section 201 (MS 201), states that Volunteers must demonstrate

competence in technical skills to qualify for Peace Corps service.

Our evaluation identified that Volunteers could be more effective in their assignments if the post

addresses some gaps in technical training. We found that Volunteers in TEFL and HE needed

more training on classroom management, co-teaching, and how to overcome challenges

encountered in the Albanian classroom. The HE PAC signaled the need for HE Volunteers to be

trained on the Albanian school system and culture. The TEFL PAC also noted that Volunteers

were struggling with classroom management challenges. During interviews, one Volunteer

commented that “TEFL Volunteers that are placed in high schools should have more preparation

for the atmosphere they will be encountering.” A second Volunteer said: “I felt the sector

specific PST was a waste of time because it did not address the problems in Albanian schools,

such as lack of rules/discipline.” On the FY 2016 AVS, 50 percent of Volunteers in Albania

rated technical training as effective or very effective compared to 63 percent of EMA Volunteers

and 64 percent of Volunteers globally. HE and TEFL Volunteers gave the lowest ratings on this

question. COD Volunteers reported that for their work at site they relied more on technical skills

from prior work experience.

Classroom management and co-teaching were critical skills for HE and TEFL Volunteers, and

yet only the TEFL Volunteers received training on these topics according to the 2016 PST

schedule. The evaluator noted that TEFL and HE Volunteers both had more training time on

classroom management and teaching in the Albanian classroom in 2017 than was scheduled in

2016, however the interview sample did not include Volunteers from this training cohort since


13

they had only just arrived at site.3 COD

Volunteers reported that their technical training

focused more on the specifics of working in

Albania rather than on technical skills.

As a result of these training issues Volunteers

did not feel successful in their work. Twenty-

two percent of PC/Albania Volunteers in TEFL

and COD found their primary project “very

unrewarding” or “unrewarding” on the annual

Volunteer survey. This was a higher rate of

dissatisfaction than for other Volunteers in

EMA (16 percent) and globally (14 percent)

(See Figure 2). One stated that “It is so difficult

to stay motivated working at the high school.

There are behaviors at the high school that I

wish I was better prepared for--given

information about how to interact, help, and

change.”

We recommend:

7. That the director of programming and training and the programming

and training team analyze tasks performed during service by

community organizational development, English education, and health

education Volunteers and provide appropriate practical skills training

during pre-service training.

Intercultural training needed to be updated.

MS 201 also states that Volunteers must demonstrate competence in cultural awareness to

qualify for Peace Corps service.

In addition to gaps in technical training, our evaluation identified that the post’s intercultural

training curriculum needed to be updated. It was focused mainly on external aspects of culture

such as holidays and traditions, superstitions, gender relations, social services, history of

Albania, communism and post-communism, religious institutions, movies, folk songs and

dancing. One session on “intentional relationship building,” which accounted for one-eighth of

the curriculum, would best equip Volunteers to navigate relationships in Albania. During

3 This evaluation did not include Volunteers who arrived in 2017 since they only had 1-2 weeks of experience at

their sites. This was insufficient time to enable them to answer most questions regarding their projects and

effectiveness of training.

Figure 2. Percent of Volunteers surveyed who found their primary project “very unrewarding” or “unrewarding.” (5,201 respondents). Source: 2016 All Volunteer Survey

23%

16%14%

PC/Albania EMA Region Global

Volunteers Unsatisfied with Their Primary Project


14

interviews, several Volunteers spoke about the need for better training on intercultural factors.

One person said that Volunteers need to know more about the difficult aspects of Albanian

culture even if it might discourage some people initially. Another Volunteer reflected: “…They

don’t do a good job of explaining Albanian culture. There have been so many instances where

[social interactions] go down-hill very fast.”

Albania Volunteers reported being less integrated than other Volunteers in EMA by 22 percent,

and 27 percent less than Volunteers globally on the FY 2016 AVS. PC/Albania’s country

director recognized that Volunteers in Albania were struggling to integrate and had implemented

two solutions which may demonstrate effects next year. During fieldwork interviews, a third of

Volunteers expressed challenges with cultural integration. Poor cultural integration concerned

Volunteers, the post, and the EMA region. One post staff member pointed out that:

Many of the complaints we hear are related to [cultural misunderstandings]. If they don’t learn how to

develop and maintain these relationships, all these other things fall apart. For me that is a major cause of

many of the issues we are having I am a firm believer that to thrive in a country like Albania, cross culture

understanding is paramount.

PC/Albania had not received the intercultural competence, diversity, and inclusion (ICD&I)

foundations workshop from staff in the Office of Overseas Programming and Training Support

(OPATS). The ICD&I Initiative was launched by Peace Corps Headquarters to better enable

Volunteers and staff to “build and maintain authentic relationships with people from different

backgrounds.”

Frustrations with their work assignments and a lack of social integration in their communities

resulted in Volunteers frequently leaving their sites or using alcohol to relieve their discomfort

and isolation. One Volunteer related that:

I have drank more in the first 4 months of service than I have in my whole life. My first blog would be

“how Peace Corps made me an alcoholic.” We keep bringing up leaving site because we want to hang out,

and when we do hang out we get drunk. There are definitely some Volunteers [who] are definitely

alcoholics. It’s all we do here. It’s rare for me to be in a social setting and not drink.

When asked about risks, another Volunteer said: “There are a lot of events where Volunteers get

together and get wasted. It can go bad. I don’t like it- that’s why I don’t have a lot of friends.”

Similarly, another Volunteer worried that: “Drinking is a humungous issue. I was starting to

drink as a coping mechanism and I realized I was doing it too much. It is a huge unchecked

issue.” One Volunteer explained that Volunteers have a hard time staying at site: “If I didn’t do

it [leave site] as much as I do, I could not stay here. I would not be able to maintain my sanity.”

Post staff also expressed concerns about Volunteers leaving their sites too often and mentioned

their lack of connection with their communities. This is a strong indication that Volunteers are

not integrating and building the kinds of supportive relationships with Albanians that would

enable them to feel at home in their host communities. Intercultural training should focus more

on helping Volunteers be able to build meaningful relationships. This will supplement the post’s

plans to improve Volunteer’s integration through a new policy requiring Volunteers to live with

a host family for the first six months4 at site, and changing the arrival date for new Volunteers

4 However, the Service Handbook Peace Corps Albania (updated November 2016) states that: “Volunteers… may

move from their host families after a three-month homestay period…”


15

from March to January, so that school-based Volunteers will be able to start working in schools

before summer vacation begins. This will take effect with the next group arriving in January of

2018.

We recommend:

8. That the country director develop a plan to improve intercultural

training in consultation with overseas programming and training

support staff from headquarters.

9. That the country director develop a plan to address Volunteers’

negative coping strategies such as alcohol abuse by promoting resiliency

and positive coping strategies.

Volunteers confused primary and secondary projects.

According to the Programing, Training, and Evaluation Guidance,

secondary activities are those activities that Volunteers do in

addition to the activities which support the goals and objectives of

their assigned projects. In Albania, we found that Volunteers often

mistakenly described primary activities as secondary activities

during the Volunteer interviews. This confusion between which

activities count as secondary versus primary stemmed from the

heavy emphasis placed on working with the host agencies during

training. Volunteers felt that staff were very concerned that they

fulfill their obligations to the host agency.

Once that was done, they were free to do

whatever they wanted to do. As one

Volunteer stated: “The [program] staff in

training really emphasize that you have to

keep working with the [host agency], and

that is your primary concern.” However,

because of frustrations with their assigned

schools and host agencies, Volunteers often

find their work outside of the assigned

agency more fulfilling.

In 2017 PC/Albania Volunteers supported the introduction of Girl Scouts in Albania


16

We recommend:

10. That the director of programming and training, and programming and

training staff uniformly define primary and secondary activities

following the definitions provided in the Programming, Training, and

Evaluation Guidance.

PC/Albania did not participate in the TEFL Certificate Program.

MS 201 stipulates that by the end of pre-service training Volunteers must demonstrate technical

competence in the technical skills needed for their work assignments to qualify for service.

The lack of teacher preparation, poor classroom management, and the lack of continuing training

for teachers were identified as big challenges for TEFL Volunteers in Albania. TEFL Volunteers

were struggling due to a combination of their lack of stature and standing as qualified teachers,

and the project’s focus on co-teaching instead of other modes of engaging with Albanian

teachers. Staff expressed that a Volunteer with less teaching experience than their Albanian

counterpart may not be perceived as a source of advice on teaching methods. One staff member

speculated that “It doesn’t seem feasible for a young person to advise an older teacher.”

In order to help Volunteers cope with common classroom challenges globally, the agency has

developed a TEFL certificate program. This program is designed to improve Volunteers’ abilities

to work with their counterparts. For example, one Volunteer participating in the TEFL certificate

in another country said: “The structure of the certificate program helped me work with my

counterparts. It provided me with tools and ideas to share with them.” The TEFL certificate

program enables Volunteers to use communities of practice to build teacher capacity, improves

student’s mastery of English, and engages the community in improving schools and student

performance. According to the stated rationale for the TEFL certificate program: “…the primary

purpose of the Certificate is to frame the ongoing training and professional development that

allows Volunteers to make a positive professional contribution to the skills and knowledge of

their teacher counterparts.”

PC Albania’s TEFL staff received the training necessary to implement the TEFL certificate

program, which represented a significant investment on the part of the US Government for four

international training events. Subsequently, post leadership decided not to join the TEFL

certificate program due to concerns that the TEFL programming team did not have sufficient

time available to dedicate to this program, as well as concerns about the challenges associated

with co-teaching and the need to focus on strengthening the program. However, staff also

pointed out that a large TEFL Volunteer input from 2015 completed service and the size of

training classes were now more stable, so the post should be able to take on implementing the

TEFL certification program.


17

We recommend:

11. That the director for programming and training and education

program team review the education project to clarify the role of co-

teaching and expand the range of primary activities contributing to the

project goals.

12. That the country director, director for programming and training, and

education program manager re-assess post’s participation in the

Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate program with input

from staff in Overseas Programming and Training Support.

Volunteers were not using Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) to assess

their communities’ needs.

The Programming, Training and Evaluation Guidance states that Peace Corps “stresses a

participatory approach to project design and

revision, since participatory decision-making is at

the heart of the Peace Corps’ philosophy of

development.” Further, the guidance specifies

that it is necessary for Volunteers to use PACA

tools and conduct a site-level baseline assessment

during the first three to four months at site.

According to the OIG Volunteer survey, 48

percent of Volunteers had not used PACA and

were therefore not applying the Peace Corps’ core

tool for participatory development. There was a

divergence between the sectors, with 50 percent of

HE Volunteers saying they did use PACA, but only 38 percent of COD Volunteers and 32

percent of TEFL Volunteers said they used it.

One reason that Volunteers were not using PACA is because the training was insufficient. While

all Volunteers recalled receiving training on the tools, four of the Volunteers interviewed

mentioned that the training could have been improved with more hands-on practice. On the AVS,

56 percent of Albania Volunteers rated the training on conducting community needs assessment

as effective or very effective. This was lower than the regional and global ratings of 60 percent

and 61 percent respectively. Volunteers mentioned that they were overwhelmed with a lot of

information during pre-service training and didn’t appreciate the importance of these tools.

Another reason Volunteers were not utilizing Peace Corps’ tool for participatory development

was likely due to insufficient communication skills. As one PC/Washington staff member

pointed out: “Volunteers aren’t quite equipped with the language during community entry to

Map from PACA training during PST


18

implement PACA.” One Volunteer indicated that it would have been better if his counterpart had

been trained, so they could have worked together with the tools.

Volunteers who used the PACA tools found them useful for knowing where they could hold

events and meetings, understanding calendars and schedules to time things appropriately,

identifying community health priorities, and getting to know their communities better through

interviews and observation. Although some Volunteers struggled to use them, one Volunteer

pointed out that: “You need this information, it is something that should feed into your decisions

about the area.” We concluded that a more effective use of PACA tools may contribute to higher

Volunteer satisfaction with their service.

OPATS at Peace Corps Headquarters recently revised the PACA approach, and will be

implementing a new version called PACA 2.0 in the spring of 2018.

We recommend:

13. That the training manager improve participatory analysis for

community action training.

Programming staff needed clarification of priorities in the monitoring and evaluation process.

In the Peace Corps Strategic Plan, Strategic Objective 11 is “Advance the agency’s ability to

measure progress, improve performance, and demonstrate impact through integrated monitoring,

reporting, and evaluation practices.” The agency aims to capture rigorous, high-quality data

which can be used to inform decision-making at the post and the agency level.

Volunteers frequently entered indicator data in their reports incorrectly. Due to the design of the

Volunteer reporting form (VRF), Volunteers had to manually tabulate certain data that their

report form should have done automatically. As a result, Volunteers did not always enter the

indicator data accurately. During interviews, some Volunteers noted difficulty entering the

indicators. One stated, “I thought the information I entered into the objectives would auto-

populate into the indicators, and it didn’t. I had to re-enter the data again.” Another person said:

“The indicators were very tedious. Having to add indicators to the activities took an hour phone

call to the office.” Another Volunteer pointed out that “I usually miss indicators.” Using a

locally developed Excel workbook, Albanian programming staff pulled the number of

participants for each category from the objectives data, added it up, and entered the sums in

under the indicators for each Volunteer to verify that this had been done accurately.

PC/Washington had no plan to change the VRT until it is fully redesigned and re-issued as “VRT

Next,” scheduled for late 2019. A headquarters staff member we interviewed said “That has led

to frustration at posts and by Volunteers in using the VRT, which has fomented distrust in

confidently using the VRT data.”


19

Meanwhile, there was no standard guidance from HQ on how posts should handle cleaning VRF

data to remove inconsistencies between activities and indicator data. According to one

headquarters staff member: “Each post, depending on the complexity of their project and what

indicators Volunteers potentially report on, handles this tabulation flaw in different ways.” In

Albania, the program managers started using Excel spreadsheets a couple of years ago to clean

and correct the indicator data.

Some Volunteers reported that the VRF was not user friendly and required a lot of coaching from

staff to complete. During field interviews, a few said that they would like to receive more

feedback on the activities they do and ways to do it better rather than focusing on the numbers

and errors in reporting on the VRF. The VRF feedback period in the fall for PC/Albania

coincided with several other high priority activities, such as site development for the next PST,

the in-service training for the new group, and completing the project status report process for

PC/Washington. The extra work required to tally the data, clean it, and communicate with

Volunteers about errors required a lot of time which programming staff needed for other higher

priority activities. During field interviews, a Volunteer brought up the issue of staff not having

enough time to give good feedback as well: “The timing of when we do the VRFs- it’s a very

busy time of year for staff. I think staff does not have a lot of time to work on it. I was satisfied

with my feedback, but it was not very extensive.”

We recommend:

14. That the director of programming and training provide programming

staff with clear expectations for cleaning Volunteer reporting form

data.

VOLUNTEER SUPPORT

The country program evaluation assessed Volunteer support using the following researchable

questions to guide our work:

How well prepared is the post to respond to emergencies and security incidents, and are

preventative safety and security measures adequate?

Is the health care program meeting Volunteers’ needs?

Does the post provide adequate housing to Volunteers to maintain health and safety?

How constructive is the relationship between staff and Volunteers?

In reviewing Volunteer site visits, emergency preparedness, crime response, the Volunteer

advisory committee (VAC), and medical support, we found no significant areas of concern that

would necessitate action by the post.


20

Areas of no concern regarding Volunteer support:

Volunteers felt supported through site visits. Albania Volunteers receive frequent site

visits. All of the Volunteers interviewed reported that they had received a site visit from a

staff member, and most reported receiving multiple visits. Eighteen of 20 Volunteers

interviewed were generally positive about their site visits. Volunteers felt that site visits

provided a good opportunity for staff to help clarify the Volunteers’ roles with project

partners; introduce Volunteers to other potential project partners; better understand the

Volunteers’ surroundings and context; and demonstrate to locals that the Volunteers are

supported by a powerful organization. Similarly, staff saw it as a way to discuss

Volunteer challenges and frustrations, check-in with Volunteers’ counterparts, and clarify

Volunteers’ roles and expectations.

The Emergency Action Plan was well developed. Our review of documentation showed

that the post had conducted successful drills to test Volunteers’ responses when the

emergency action plan (EAP) was activated. After the most recent test of the post’s EAP,

staff discussed and documented lessons learned and developed recommendations for the

future. During fieldwork, 19 of 20 Volunteers (95 percent) correctly identified their

emergency consolidation points. We also found that the safety and security manager

effectively utilized Volunteer wardens5 to augment the post’s emergency preparedness by

having them develop sub-regional contingency plans. The sub-regional plans provided

clear instructions to Volunteers about how to access their consolidation points, laid out

possible routes of evacuation including driving instructions, and provided multiple

contingency meeting points.

Volunteers had confidence in staff's ability to respond to crimes and other safety

incidents. Volunteers reported that they were satisfied with the post's ability to respond

to safety incidents and were comfortable reporting crimes to the safety and security

manager. In the FY 2016 AVS, 93 percent of the Volunteers were satisfied with the

safety and security manager’s support. In addition, of the eight Volunteers who told us

during interviews that they had been a victim of a crime, six (75 percent) said that they

had reported it to Peace Corps.6 Furthermore, 100% of interviewed Volunteers said that

they would report significant crimes in the future.—although several qualified that it

would depend on the significance of the crime.7

Volunteers felt that the Volunteer Advisory Committee was effective. We determined

that the VAC was doing a good job communicating issues between staff and Volunteers.

PC/Albania’s VAC typically consists of six representatives, three from each cohort, and

meets quarterly. In general, VAC members felt that their committee was effective, and

5 Wardens are Volunteers who live in easily accessible areas, and who receive in-depth training on the emergency

action plan. They are responsible for helping coordinate communications with Volunteers in their area when the

EAP is activated, and host other Volunteers in the event of a consolidation. 6 Of the Volunteers who told us that they didn’t report crimes to Peace Corps, one said it was because the crime was

too insignificant, and the other said it was because Peace Corps couldn’t do anything about it. 7 In June of 2017 there was significant turnover in the safety and security team at the post with the departure of the

long-serving safety and security manager and the safety and security officer. New staff have been hired to fill these

two positions.


21

95% of interviewed Volunteers were positive about the VAC and felt that the committee

did a good job communicating Volunteers’ issues to staff. Several Volunteers commented

that they appreciated their VAC representative reaching out to them prior to VAC

meetings and later providing them with meeting minutes. VAC members have also

helped in the interview process for staff members (e.g., safety and security manager and

medical officer) and the policy manual revisions.

Volunteers were satisfied with their medical care. Before 2016 Albania’s medical unit

suffered from an underperforming medical officer, followed by an influx of temporary

duty staff. Volunteer satisfaction with their medical care increased dramatically with the

hiring of two new medical officers. In FY 2016, only 46 percent of Volunteers in Albania

were satisfied with their healthcare. During FY 2017 fieldwork, we determined that 91

percent of Volunteers were satisfied with the medical care that they received. As one

senior staff member observed:

The [Peace Corps Medical Officer (PCMO)] unit has done a 180 degree [shift] since early 2016.

Medical support was an issue for Volunteers who were [closing service] in 2017 and those

currently serving. The transition of doctors and care is felt by the Volunteers who, through VAC,

have shared great appreciation of the direction of the PCMO unit.

The evaluation uncovered some areas that require management attention, particularly collection

of GPS data, completion of the Medical Action Plan, and level of awareness of the Quality Nurse

Line.

Areas of Volunteer Support that Require Management Attention

Staff lacked a consistent approach for responding to Volunteer concerns and problems.

According to Peace Corps’ Programming, Training, and Evaluation Guidance, “Staff should lean

toward a coaching approach, working with Volunteers and trainees to solve their own

challenges.”

Staff and Volunteers told us that the country director faced serious challenges when she arrived.

Agency employees we interviewed noted that under the previous leadership at the post

Volunteers were routinely out of site. Staff we interviewed also noted there had been an

inconsistent approach to enforcing violations of the rules, including the prohibition against

renting cars, and the requirement to report one’s whereabouts when travelling overnight. Senior

staff we interviewed described steps that the new country director had taken to address the

challenges she inherited, believed she had made progress, and expressed confidence in her ability

to lead the post. The Ambassador also reported to us that the country director’s efforts had

helped to “turn the page” for Peace Corps/Albania.

However, some Volunteers expressed frustration with abrupt policy changes. The country

director has worked to make sure that staff were consistent in their messages about policy

changes, but some Volunteers were confused. Most Volunteers who reported that they had raised

issues to staff felt that staff were responsive and supportive. The post struggled to adjust


22

Volunteers’ expectations. In the last two training groups, some Volunteers arrived at the post

with inaccurate assumptions. While the post has made it clear to invitees that they would be

living with host families, invitees had been assured by currently serving Volunteers that they

could live independently. In addition, multiple Volunteers in the health sector reported that they

thought they would be working in health clinics, not schools.

Some volunteers said that their concerns were not always well understood by some members of

senior staff. Also, staff member’s responses to Volunteers were not perceived as being

consistent, but were influenced by factors unrelated to the issue at hand, such as the history of

past interactions. This led some Volunteers to hesitate in seeking assistance since they were

unsure about the type of support they might receive.

One staff member received preliminary training on coaching two or three years ago as part of the

same sex couples training, and found the information very useful but insufficient. According to

some headquarters staff, the absence of a consistent approach to Volunteer support contributes to

Volunteers’ feelings that they are not treated fairly. This has been a reason given for requesting

coaching workshops by some posts in the past.

We recommend:

15. That the country director arrange for all senior staff in PC/Albania to

be trained on how to use coaching in Volunteer support.

The post was not entering GPS coordinates for all Volunteers into VIDA in a timely manner.

Safety and Security Instruction 603 states: “GPS coordinates also provide a precise location for

emergency management purposes. For this reason, the collection of geographic coordinates and

the input of those coordinates into VIDA is required.”

During fieldwork, the evaluator was given a sample of Volunteer site contact forms, and none of

them included GPS coordinates. As of June 30, 2017, only 31 percent of Volunteers interviewed

had their GPS coordinates documented in VIDA.8 Furthermore, GPS coordinates had not been

entered for 19% of the most recent group of Volunteers who had been at their sites for six

months, as of November 8, 2017. In his most recent trip report, the Peace Corps safety and

security officer commented that the post was working towards reconciling all the GPS

information9 and had developed an excellent interactive Volunteer location map. However, he

issued the recommendation that the post “continue to populate GPS data.”

8 The VIDA is the repository of all information about Volunteers during their service, including key dates (enter on

duty, close of service), vacation days, communications with staff, site information, emergency contact information,

personal information, and program information. 9 In the last 6 months the post has reduced the number of Volunteers without GPS coordinates. In January 2017, the

Peace Corps Safety and Security Officer found that 35 Volunteers were without GPS coordinates, in June 2017, 22

Volunteers were without GPS coordinates.


23

The need to collect GPS coordinates is clearly mentioned in the house inspection SOP, which

says that “GPS coordinates should be input into VIDA in decimal degree format under the

[Volunteer] contact section as soon as feasible.” However, the SOP does not clarify who is

responsible for entering GPS coordinates into VIDA.

During fieldwork, the evaluator observed that PC/Albania drivers frequently had to call

Volunteers for help finding their homes. In the event of an emergency, this practice could pose

serious challenges for staff and endanger the health and safety of Volunteers. While the Peace

Corps safety and security officer felt confident that, in an emergency, staff could locate all

Volunteers, recent staff turnover of senior leadership and the safety and security team (country

director, director of management and operations, director of programming and training, safety

and security manager, and Peace Corps safety and security officer) suggests that those

responsible for responding to an emergency may not be familiar with all Volunteer locations.

We recommend:

16. That the country director designate staff responsibility for entering

GPS coordinates into VIDA and update the post’s housing inspection

standard operating procedures accordingly.

Volunteers were not consistently reporting their whereabouts.

MS 270 states that “Each post mush establish a system to collect V/T [Volunteer/Trainee]

whereabouts and contact information when V/Ts are away from their communities for personal

travel, annual leave, or for official reasons… The system is separate from other systems used to

keep track of leave balances and will not be used as an indicator of a Volunteer’s work

performance.” According to PC/Albania’s Service Handbook, “Volunteers must notify Peace

Corps when they will be traveling out of their communities overnight and upon their return.

Volunteers must always report their whereabouts, whether the travel requires approval or not.

Failure to comply with this policy may result in administrative separation from Peace Corps.”

Many Volunteers reported that the whereabouts policy was well understood, and most agreed

that the policy was consistently enforced by staff. However, some Volunteers interviewed

asserted that other Volunteers were not consistently reporting their whereabouts. One Volunteer

commented, “Our group is sort of resistant to the [whereabouts] policy. Wink, wink--it says this,

but here is what most people do.”

Volunteers reported several reasons for the lack of compliance with the whereabouts policy.

Volunteers did not like the post’s newly implemented travel policy. Albania’s service handbook

states that “School-based [Volunteers] are not encouraged to plan leave that impacts their

presence during school days, however school-based Volunteers will be allowed a maximum of

ten days of regular annual leave during the school calendar year.” Furthermore, when calculating

annual leave, “If taking time off to travel in Albania, the annual leave must be taken for any

week days (other than Albanian holidays) a Volunteer is gone from their site including travel


24

days [emphasis added].” Volunteers who lived in remote communities with limited

transportation felt that the leave policy was unfair. Others thought that the ten day limit for

school-based Volunteers was unreasonable.

Some interviewed Volunteers told us that another reason Volunteers may not report whereabouts

is that they were afraid that staff would compare their whereabouts report to their leave requests,

and dock them for leave they should have requested but did not. Post leadership insisted that they

did not use whereabouts reporting to keep track of leave balances or as indications of a

Volunteer’s work performance, and provided examples to us of how they had used whereabouts

notifications appropriately in response to events. The safety and security manager reported that

the country director was not in the practice of adjusting annual leave balances for Volunteers

who were caught out of site. And although staff would have conversations with Volunteers who

were out of site too often, they did not use whereabouts reporting as a measure of performance.

However some Volunteers did not trust the system. In our volunteer survey, one Volunteer

explained:

Although the out of site phone is intended for safety and security, [a staff member] has openly stated

that she monitors the out of site phone to see if volunteers are leaving site too often. I have heard of

some volunteers that do leave site on the weekends, however do not report it to the out of site phone in

fear that they will be reprimanded… Although VAC raised this issue to [the country director] she, in

the VAC notes, states that the policy of monitoring the out of site phone would continue. In short, she

is inadvertently endangering volunteers by mixing a good safety and security policy with a mechanism

that could get them in trouble.

Another Volunteer stated, “There has been concern that [the out of site phone] is being used

more of a ‘Gotcha! You were out of site.’ So that makes people hesitant to text because they

don’t want to get caught.” Volunteers’ inconsistent reporting of whereabouts could inhibit the

post’s ability to communicate with or consolidate them during an emergency.

We Recommend:

17. That the country director produce a communications plan for clarifying

the whereabouts and travel policies.

Post was concerned about its future capacity to support Volunteers’ mental health care.

We found that 100 percent of respondents from the most recent training group, who had the

opportunity to get to know both of the new PCMOs during pre-service training, felt comfortable

going to the PCMO for support. However, only 53 percent of Volunteers reported that they

would be comfortable approaching the PCMOs with a mental health concern.

For the past year, PC/Albania relied heavily on an in-country American counselor. However, that

counselor left Albania in July of 2017, after our fieldwork had concluded. While PCMOs

provided the initial assessment for Volunteers who wanted counseling as required by TG 510,


25

neither one expressed a lot of confidence in their ability to address Volunteers’ mental health

needs. Post leadership expressed concerns to us regarding capacity to meet Volunteers’ mental

health care needs, and was in the process of looking for a new in-country counselor at the time of

fieldwork.

We Recommend:

18. That the director of counseling and outreach develop a plan to support

Peace Corps/Albania’s medical officers to build their capacity and

confidence to respond to or address Volunteers’ mental health care

needs.

The post had not updated its medical action plan (MAP).

Peace Corps TG 385 ‘Medical Action Plan’ states “Every post must develop, document and

regularly update post-specific plans to properly handle potential urgent or emergent medical

needs of its Volunteers… The plan, which is primarily a list of emergency resources, should be

formulated from the perspective that it is being written for a community backup provider or a

temporary duty PCMO who does not have the same familiarity with these resources as the full-

time PCMOs.” At the time of our evaluation, the post had an incomplete medical action plan.

The Office of Health Services (OHS) staff discussed the need for a completed medical action

plan with medical officers in December 2016 and agreed that March 2017 would be the deadline

for the plan. However, in May 2017, a medical officer reported that the medical action plan was

only 80 percent complete. At the time of fieldwork, one of the medical officers attended a

continuing medical education conference and received updated information on the process of the

MAP which she needed to in order to complete it. Without an updated MAP, the post may be

delayed in its response to a Volunteer medical emergency. A completed plan will ensure that any

provider—particularly a backup or temporary duty medical officer—will be able to respond

efficiently in the event of an emergency.

We recommend:

19. That the Peace Corps medical officers complete a medical action plan.

The majority of Volunteers were unaware of the Quality Nurse Line (QNL).

As explained in TG 302 ‘Volunteer Concerns,’ Volunteers have the opportunity to express any

concerns with the quality of their health care to Peace Corps’ Quality Improvement Unit. All

posts are responsible for posting the quality improvement unit’s contact information as well as

instructions on how to raise a concern. According to the OIG Volunteer survey, 77 percent of

Volunteers reported that they had not heard of the QNL, 16 percent reported that they had heard

of the QNL, and 7 percent did not answer. We determined that Volunteers, while informed of the


26

QNL, may not be retaining the information. During fieldwork, the evaluator observed that the

QNL poster was on display in the Volunteer lounge and in the medical unit waiting area. In

addition, one medical officer confirmed that staff had explained the QNL to trainees during the

two most recent PSTs. Furthermore, the second medical officer reported that the medical staff

reminds Volunteers about the QNL when they come for medical services. As determined in the

Follow-Up Evaluation of Issues identified in the 2010 PC/Morocco Assessment of Medical Care,

if a high percentage of Volunteers and trainees are unaware of the QNL, quality issues may not

have been consistently reported to OHS, impeding OHS’s ability to provide effective oversight.

We Recommend:

20. That the country director explore new ways to raise Volunteer and

trainee awareness of the quality nurse line.

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Another key objective of the country program evaluation is to assess leadership and management

using the following researchable questions:

How effective is senior staff in leading post operations toward the achievement of the

agency’s mission?

Does the post’s planning and budgeting process yield the resources necessary to achieve

agency objectives?

Is the post staffed appropriately for efficient and effective operations?

Do administrative practices at the post support effective post operations?

In general, senior staff is effectively leading post operations. The current country director

inherited a complex situation from the departing country director, and has helped “turn the

page.” Post staff expressed that they felt they were all on the same page regarding policies and

procedures. The Volunteers also recognized that changes in management were necessary, even as

they expressed frustrations with the manner in which some changes were executed. The U.S.

Ambassador highly praised the country director and Peace Corps’ operations in Albania.

Areas of No Concern Regarding Leadership and Management:

In reviewing the post’s relationship with the U.S. Embassy, coordination with PC/Washington,

and staff on-boarding, we found no significant areas of concern that would necessitate action by

the post.


27

The post maintained a close relationship with the Embassy. The post had excellent

coordination with the regional security officer. The country director reported that they

met with the regional safety officer quarterly and engaged the regional security officer

when interviewing safety and security manager candidates. The regional security officer

appreciated being included in that process. In addition, the USDH staff regularly attend

the Embassy country team meetings. The ambassador was aware of the post’s recent

controversies and was very positive about the post’s new country director.

Coordination and communication between the post and headquarters was effective.

We determined that there was sufficient consultation and understanding between

headquarters and the post about operational priorities. According to the FY 2016 and FY

2017 administrative management control survey, the post communicates openly and

systematically with appropriate HQ offices to better ensure efficiency and support. Both

headquarters and post staff confirmed this assessment. As one headquarters staff member

commented, “Post is not afraid to reach out to other HQ offices to get the information

they need.”

The post developed an effective onboarding process. In the FY 2017 administrative

management control survey, the post confirmed that they had an onboarding program for

new employees. According to the country director, the post recently developed a new

onboarding process that included a fully-scheduled first week to introduce the new

employee to Peace Corps and ensure they receive the necessary training. The schedule

included meetings with the administrative staff, human resources, information technology

specialist, and other key staff. The onboarding process also included completion of the

Overseas Staff Orientation guide in PC University. At the time of fieldwork, staff were

still in the process of drafting an SOP to formalize the onboarding process. The first

employee to experience the new onboarding process felt it was very effective. She

explained, “I met with everyone on staff. They gave me the full picture of their duties and

how they work with [my position]. So I know who to go to.”

Staff participated in annual operations planning and decision making. Each year all

staff participated in an Integrated Planning and Budget System retreat, at which they

collaborated on merging PC/Albania and EMA priorities for the upcoming year. Staff we

interviewed generally reported that they felt sufficiently consulted about decisions that

affected their job. In the host country national staff survey, 100% of staff agreed that they

had appropriate input into decisions that affected their work.

The evaluation uncovered some areas that require management attention, particularly

Volunteer’s living and settling-in allowances. The remainder of this section provides more

information about these topics.


28

Areas of Leadership and Management that Require Management Attention

The post’s living allowance was insufficient for some Volunteers.

MS 221 ‘Volunteer Allowances’ states “It is Peace Corps policy that Volunteers live modestly

by the standards of the people they serve, yet not in a manner that would endanger their health or

safety… Each post should establish a base living allowance... Supplements to the base living

allowance may be added on a per Volunteer basis to cover housing, utilities, locality

supplements, and Peace Corps Volunteer Leader supplements.”

According to the OIG Volunteer survey, only 61 percent of Volunteers felt that the living

allowance was adequate. While some Volunteers reported that they were able to live within their

budgets, and a few were even able to save money, many agreed that those in larger cities or

tourist towns struggled. A few Volunteer comments include:

I live in the most expensive site in the country and everyone receives the same allowance (for everything

but housing). There are many months when I put my own money into living expenses.

Peace Corps does not adjust our food allowance based on where we are living. So one volunteer might not

have a problem with their food budget, but another would have a lot of trouble because the food in their site

is just more expensive.

In [my site], we have not had a problem, but Volunteers in some larger sites have trouble making ends

meet. The living allowance is barely meeting their needs.

To make matters worse, the cost of utilities in Albania has risen and the winter of 2016 was

unexpectedly cold. In October 2016, the post requested additional funds to meet the rising utility

costs in Albania. The additional funds were provided, but multiple Volunteers still reported that

they struggled to pay for their utilities during the winter months.

Currently, the post does not have a tiered structure for living allowances. The country director

reported that a previous living allowance survey suggested the need for a tiered living allowance

structure, which was also supported by the VAC. According to the country director, Volunteers

in about half of the communities could live adequately off of the current living allowance, but

those in larger cities and coastal towns were insufficiently supported.

In 2016, PC/Albania requested a 7 percent increase to Volunteers’ living allowances. However,

this request was rejected by the EMA chief administrative officer, and he recommended that the

post consider a locality adjustment instead of an increase across the board. While the living

allowance survey exhibited outliers, the EMA chief administrative officer concluded that the

median spending did not warrant an increase. He suggested to the post that they conduct a

market basket survey. In December of 2016, the post initiated another market basket survey, but

the director of management and operations departed before the matter could be pursued further

and a second living allowance survey could be conducted.

An analysis of the post’s 2017 market basket survey results suggested that there is a locality

variance in Albania. Three of the cities where the post conducted a market basket survey had 10

or more items that cost more than one standard deviation from the mean. An additional three

cities had more than five items that cost more than one standard deviation from the mean.


29

Several of the Volunteers who felt that they did not receive a sufficient living allowance reported

that they often depend on their personal savings to make ends meet. At the time of fieldwork, the

post was considering conducting another living allowance survey in the fall.

We recommend:

21. That the director of management and operations conduct a market

basket survey and living allowance survey and determine if an

adjustment to Volunteer’s living allowances in higher cost sites is

justified.

The Post did not consider different living situations when determining settling-in allowances.

MS 221 states that upon arrival at sites, Volunteers are to be provided with a settling-in

allowance to purchase necessary housing supplies and equipment. To determine the appropriate

amount of the allowance, the post must conduct surveys on the prices and items commonly

purchased by Volunteers. The Overseas Financial Management Handbook section 2.2 states:

“Posts may establish one rate for all trainees or may establish varied rates, to reflect different

living situations.”

PC/Albania Volunteers received approximately 90 euros for their settling-in allowance.

According to the OIG Volunteer survey, 60 percent of Volunteers felt that the settling-in

allowance was adequate. Out of 63 Volunteers, 15 Volunteers conveyed in the survey that the

settling-in allowance, while fine for those who were replacing Volunteers and able to inherit the

departing Volunteers’ household items, was inadequate for Volunteers who opened new sites and

had to buy everything for themselves. As one Volunteer explained:

Settling-in allowances should be determined based on what is found at the volunteers’ new housing instead

of being a set price. For instance, a volunteer inheriting a house lived in by previous volunteers likely will

not have to spend as much on basics for the house and therefore could receive a lower settling-in

allowance. On the other hand, a volunteer moving into a new house with no cooking ware, bedding, table,

chairs, towels, will need to spend a much larger amount to settle into his/her housing and should get a

larger settling-in allowance.

Volunteers who were unable to inherit items from a previous Volunteer often spent money out of

pocket. One Volunteer estimated spending four times the settling-in allowance to equip an empty

apartment.

PC/Albania’s settling-in allowance has not changed since 2003. The post recently conducted a

settling-in allowance survey, but did not achieve the 75 percent response rate required to justify a

monetary increase.

PC/Albania’s recent shift to requiring Volunteers to live with host families for the first six

months of their service may impact Volunteers’ settling-in allowance needs. By delaying

Volunteers’ need to equip an apartment until they have an opportunity to establish contacts in


30

their communities, Volunteers may be able to reduce the number of items they need to purchase

themselves by drawing upon the resources of their community contacts. Alternatively, the

homestay requirement could make it more difficult for new Volunteers to inherit items from the

Volunteers they replace. In the most recent VAC meeting, participants discussed the need for the

incoming group of Volunteers to track how they spend their settling-in allowance.

We recommend:

22. That the country director and director of management and operations

evaluate whether settling-in allowances should be changed to reflect

different living situations.


31

LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS

WE RECOMMEND:

1. That the country director and director of programming and training develop a

strategy for integrating a focus on Albanian underserved populations into

programming, training, and monitoring and evaluation.

2. That the director of programming and training lead development of an annual site

development strategy which is consistent with agency criteria and guidance.

3. That the director of programming and training finalize Peace Corps/Albania’s site

development standard operating procedures.

4. That the director of programming and training include in the post’s site

development standard operating procedures, clear processes, and project-specific

programmatic criteria for assessing the viability of meaningful Volunteer

assignments at potential host agencies.

5. That the director of programming and training improve how staff involved in site

development vet and prepare motivated counterparts to engage Volunteers in

meaningful work.

6. That the country director and director of programming and training assess the

alignment of staff roles and responsibilities so that program staff focus more of

their time on program management rather than addressing issues with Volunteer

housing and host families.

7. That the director for programming and training and the programming and training

team analyze tasks performed during service by community organizational

development, English education, and health education Volunteers and provide

appropriate practical skills training during pre-service training.

8. That the country director develop a plan to improve intercultural training in

consultation with overseas programming and training support staff from

headquarters.

9. That the country director develop a plan to address Volunteers’ negative coping

strategies such as alcohol abuse by promoting resiliency and positive coping

strategies.

10. That the director of programming and training, and programming and training

staff uniformly define primary and secondary activities following the definitions

provided in the Programming, Training, and Evaluation Guidance.


32

11. That the director for programming and training and education program team

review the education project to clarify the role of co-teaching and expand the

range of primary activities contributing to the project goals.

12. That the country director, director for programming and training, and education

program manager re-assess post’s participation in the Teaching English as a

Foreign Language certificate program with input from staff in Overseas

Programming and Training Support.

13. That the training manager improve participatory analysis for community action

training.

14. That the director of programming and training provide programming staff with

clear expectations for cleaning Volunteer reporting form data.

15. That the country director arrange for all senior staff in PC/Albania to be trained

on how to use coaching in Volunteer support.

16. That the country director designate staff responsibility for entering GPS

coordinates into VIDA and update the post’s housing inspection standard

operating procedures accordingly.

17. That the country director produce a communications plan for clarifying the

whereabouts and travel policies.

18. That the director of counseling and outreach develop a plan to support Peace

Corps/Albania’s medical officers to build their capacity and confidence to

respond to or address Volunteers’ mental health care needs.

19. That the Peace Corps medical officers complete a medical action plan.

20. That the country director explore new ways to raise Volunteer and trainee

awareness of the quality nurse line.

21. That the director of management and operations conduct a market basket survey

and living allowance survey and determine if an adjustment to Volunteer’s living

allowances in higher cost sites is justified.

22. That the country director and director of management and operations evaluate

whether settling-in allowances should be changed to reflect different living

situations.


33

APPENDIX A: OBJECTIVE, SCOPE, AND METHODOLOGY

In 1989, OIG was established under the Inspector General Act of 1978 and is an independent

entity within the Peace Corps. The purpose of OIG is to prevent and detect fraud, waste, abuse,

and mismanagement and to promote economy, effectiveness, and efficiency in government. The

Inspector General is under the general supervision of the Peace Corps Director and reports both

to the Director and Congress.

The Evaluation Unit provides senior management with independent evaluations of all

management and operations of the Peace Corps, including overseas posts and domestic offices.

OIG evaluators identify best practices and recommend program improvements to comply with

Peace Corps policies.

The Evaluation Unit announced its intent to conduct an evaluation of the post on March 14,

2017. For post evaluations, we use the following researchable questions to guide our work:

A. Programming, Training and Evaluation

Programming: Is the program focused on the country’s stated development

priorities, in the poorest areas of the country? Are Volunteers making a difference

in their communities?

Volunteer Training: How well qualified and prepared are Volunteers for service?

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting: Are Volunteers achieving project

objectives? How are staff using monitoring, reporting, and evaluation results?

Site Development: Does the site development process provide Volunteers with an

environment conducive to a successful service? Are sites, housing, and work

assignments appropriate and meeting all established criteria?

B. Volunteer Support

Safety and Security: How well prepared is the post to respond to emergencies and

security incidents, and are preventative safety and security measures adequate?

Health: Is the health care program meeting Volunteers’ needs?

Housing: Does the post provide adequate housing to Volunteers to maintain

health and safety?

Staff-Volunteer Relations: How constructive is the relationship between staff and

Volunteers?


34

C. Leadership and Management

Leadership: How effective is senior staff in leading post operations toward the

achievement of the agency’s mission?

Planning: Does the post’s planning and budgeting process yield the resources

necessary to achieve agency objectives?

Staffing: Is the post staffed appropriately for efficient and effective operations?

Oversight: Do administrative practices at the post support effective post

operations?

The evaluator conducted the preliminary research portion of the evaluation March 14-May 11,

2017. This research included review of agency documents provided by headquarters and post

staff; interviews with management staff representing Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia

Operations, the Office of Global Health and HIV, the Office of Global Operations, the Office of

Health Services, the Office of Safety and Security, the Office of Victim Advocacy, the Office of

Volunteer Recruitment and Selection, and Overseas Programming and Training Support; an

online survey of 76 Peace Corps/Albania Volunteers; and inquiries to the Office of Strategic

Information, Research, and Planning.

In-country fieldwork occurred from May 15-June 2, 2017, and included interviews with post

senior staff in charge of programming, training, and support; the U.S. Embassy’s regional

security officer, the U.S. Ambassador, host country government ministry officials, and local

project partners. In addition, we interviewed a stratified judgmental sample of 20 Volunteers (22

percent of Volunteers serving at the time of our visit) based on their length of service, site

location, project focus, gender, age, and ethnicity, as well as 6 Volunteers who requested to

speak with OIG.

This evaluation was conducted in accordance with the Quality Standards for Inspections, issued

by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. The evidence, findings, and

recommendations provided in this report have been reviewed by agency stakeholders affected by

this review.


35

APPENDIX B: INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED

As part of this post evaluation, interviews were conducted with 26 Volunteers,10 13 in-country

staff, and 32 representatives from Peace Corps headquarters in Washington D.C., the U.S.

Embassy in Albania, local partners, and key ministry officials. Fifteen out of 26 Volunteer

interviews occurred at the Volunteers’ homes, and we inspected these 15 homes using post-

defined site selection criteria. The period of review for a post evaluation is one full Volunteer

cycle (typically 27 months).

The following table provides demographic information that represents the entire Volunteer

population in Albania; the Volunteer sample was selected to reflect these demographics.

Table 1: Volunteer Demographic Data

Project Percentage of

Volunteers

Community and Organizational Development

29

English Education 45

Health Education 25

Gender Percentage of

Volunteers

Female 51

Male 49

Age Percentage of

Volunteers

25 or younger 27

26-29 44

30-49 18

50 and over 11 Source: VIDA

Note: Percentages may not total 100 percent due to rounding

At the time of our field visit, the post had 29 staff positions. The post also employs temporary

staff to assist with PST. Given the time of our visit, these positions were not staffed. We

interviewed 12 staff. The staffing configuration of posts often varies and staff may hold

additional responsibilities relevant to the evaluation in addition to their official job title. We

conduct interviews with sexual assault response liaisons; grants coordinators; monitoring,

reporting, and evaluation champions; and Peace Corps Response coordinators as necessary and

when appropriate for the post.

10 Additional Volunteers not in the sample requested to be interviewed; thereby increasing the total number of

Volunteers interviewed to 26.


36

Table 2: Interviews Conducted with Post Staff

Position Status Interviewed

Country Director USDH X

Director of Programming and Training USDH X

Peace Corps Safety and Security Officer USDH X

Financial Specialist FSN X

Gender and Youth Coordinator PSC X

PCMO (2) PSC X

Program Manager (3) PSC X

Safety and Security Manager PSC X

Training Manager PSC X

Language and Cross Cultural Coordinator PSC X

Executive Assistant PSC

Cashier FSN

Admin. Assistant PSC

IT Specialist PSC

Program Specialist (4) PSC

General Services Manager PSC

Medical Assistant PSC

Driver (4) PSC

Janitor PSC Data as of April 2017. *PSC is personal services contractor; FSN is “foreign service national.”

Thirty-two additional interviews were conducted during the preliminary research phase of the

evaluation, in-country fieldwork and follow-up work upon return to Peace Corps headquarters in

Washington, D.C.


37

Table 3: Interviews Conducted with Peace Corps Headquarters Staff,

and Embassy Officials

Position Organization

Chief Administrative Officer PC Headquarters/Europe, Mediterranean and Asia Region

Chief of Operations/Acting Regional Director

PC Headquarters/Europe, Mediterranean and Asia Region

Country Desk Officer PC Headquarters/Europe, Mediterranean and Asia Region

Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation Specialist


Programming and Training Specialist/ Acting Chief of Programming and Training


Regional Security Advisor PC Headquarters/Europe, Mediterranean and Asia Region

Program Specialist (2) PC Headquarters/Office of Gifts and Grants Management

Small Project Assistance Program Manager

PC Headquarters/Office of Gifts and Grants Management

Expert PC Headquarters/Office of Global Health and HIV

Training Specialist PC Headquarters/Office of Global Health and HIV

Acting Associate Director PC Headquarters/Office of Global Operations

Field Support Manager PC Headquarters/Office of Health Services

Peace Corps Medical Officer Mentor

PC Headquarters/Office of Health Services

Director PC Headquarters/Office of Victim Advocacy

Language Training Specialist PC Headquarters/Overseas Programming and Training Support

Let Girls Learn Evaluation Specialist

PC Headquarters/Overseas Programming and Training Support

Let Girls Learn Program Specialist PC Headquarters/Overseas Programming and Training Support

Sector Specialist (3) PC Headquarters/Overseas Programming and Training Support

Placement Officer PC Headquarters/Volunteer Recruitment and Selection

Regional Recruiter PC Headquarters/Volunteer Recruitment and Selection

Ambassador US Embassy/Albania

Regional Security Officer US Embassy/Albania

VRT Manager PC Headquarters/Overseas Programming and Training Support

Deputy Chief of Programming and Evaluation

PC Headquarters/Overseas Programming and Training Support

Evaluation Specialist PC Headquarters/Office of Strategic Information, Research and Planning

Data as of July, 2017


38

Table 4: Interviews Conducted with Host Country Partners and Key

Ministry Officials

Position Organization

Director of EU Integration Ministry of Health

Education Specialist Ministry of Education

Chief of Party Planning and Local Governance Project

National Program Analyst, Youth and Gender United Nations Population Fund

Final Program Evaluation Report: Peace Corps/Albania (IG-18-02-E) 39

APPENDIX C: LIST OF ACRONYMS

AVS All-Volunteer Survey

COD Community and Organizational Development

EAP Emergency Action Plan

EMA Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia Operations

FSN Foreign Service National

FY Fiscal Year

GPS Global Positioning System

HE Health Education

ICD&I Intercultural Competence, Diversity and Inclusion

MAP Medical Action Plan

MOU Memorandum of Understanding

MS Manual Section

OHS Office of Health Services

OIG Office of the Inspector General

OPATS Overseas Programming and Training Support

PAC Project Advisory Committee

PACA Participatory Assessment for Community Action

PCMO Peace Corps Medical Officer

PSC Personal Services Contractor

PST Pre-Service Training

QNL Quality Nurse Line

SOP Standard Operating Procedure

TAP Trainee Assessment Portfolio

TEFL Teaching English as a Foreign Language

TG Technical Guidance

USDH U.S. Direct Hire

VAC Volunteer Advisory Committee

VIDA Volunteer Information Database Application

VRF Volunteer Reporting Form

VRT Volunteer Reporting Tool

V/T Volunteer/Trainee


APPENDIX D: AGENCY RESPONSE TO THE PRELIMINARY

REPORT

MEMORANDUM

To: Kathy Buller, Inspector General

Through: Angela Kissel, Acting Chief Compliance Officer

From: Jean Seigle, Acting EMA Regional Director/EMA Chief of Operations

Kate Becker, Country Director, Albania

Date: November 29, 2017

CC: Shelia Crowley, Chief Executive Officer

Carl Sosebee, Acting Chief of Staff

Kathy Stroker, Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Kristin Besch, Acting Director of Global Operations

Joaquin Ferrao, Deputy Inspector General

Jerry Black, AIG/Evaluations

Kyle Olsen, Director of Programming and Training, Albania

Marie Aughenbaugh, Director of Management and Operations

Subject: Agency Response to the Report on the Program Evaluation of Peace

Corps/Albania (Project No. 17-EVAL-03)

Enclosed please find the agency’s response to the recommendations made by the Inspector

General for Peace Corps/Albania as outlined in the Preliminary Report on the Program

Evaluation of Peace Corps/Albania (Project No. 17-EVAL-03) given to the agency on

October 11th, 2017.

The Region and the Post have addressed and provided supporting documentation for 2 of the 22

recommendations provided by the OIG in its Preliminary Evaluation Report: Peace

Corps/Albania and did not concur with one of the recommendations. The Post and Region will

work to address the remaining recommendations by the set target dates.


Recommendation 1

That the Country Director and Director of Programming and Training develop a strategy for

integrating a focus on Albanian underserved populations into programming, training, and

monitoring and evaluation.

Concur

Response: During site development in the fall of 2017, for the group of Volunteers scheduled to

arrive in January 2018, the Country Director (CD) and Director of Programming and Training

(DPT) have instructed each program manager to identify sites which more directly engage with

underserved populations for each sector.

Additionally, during Pre-Service Training (PST) the DPT will design sessions to train Volunteers

to work with populations who need Peace Corps’ services the most.

Following the placement of Volunteers in 2018, post intends to conduct a review of the site

development process in 2017/2018 to identify areas of efficiency and improvement in regard to

developing sites which work with underserved populations. Post will compile these lessons and

incorporate them into post’s site development operating procedure and site development strategy.

Documents to be Submitted:

Post’s site development operating procedure

Finalized copy of post’s site development strategy

List of 2018 Volunteer placements indicating sites in underserved areas

Notes from meetings regarding the 2017/2018 site development process

Curriculum from PST sessions related to how a PCV can serve those most in need

in their respective community

Status and Timeline for Completion: July 31, 2018

Recommendation 2

That the Director of Programming and Training lead development of an annual site development

strategy which is consistent with agency criteria and guidance.

Concur

Response: Beginning in 2017, post has been working to identify smaller sites and new sites for

Volunteer placement. In 2017 post opened 5 new sites, all of which serve fewer than 5000

residents. Also in 2017 post began the site development process by reviewing the country with

respect to economic need and targeting specific regions that could benefit from Peace Corps

support. Since the time of the evaluation, post has taken further steps to strengthen its strategy

regarding site development and site placement. In September 2017, the CD and DPT, instructed

each program manager to limit the overall number of volunteer placement per town to no more

than two new Volunteers. This was done in order to decrease the overall number of Volunteers

per town as well as set up post to create more overlap between generations of Volunteers.


Post plans to continue discussions regarding post’s overall site development strategy throughout

the remainder of the 2017/2018 site development process. Following the placement of

Volunteers in 2018, post intends to conduct a full review of the 2017/2018 site development

process including consultation with relevant agency staff to further carve out the pillars of post’s

site development strategy moving forward.

Documents Submitted:

Post’s finalized site development strategy


Recommendation 3

That the Director of Programming and Training finalize Peace Corps/Albania’s site development

standard operating procedure.

Concur

Response: Following the placement of Volunteers in 2018, post will conduct a full review of the

site development process to finalize post’s site development standard operating procedure. The

Standard Operating Procedure will include project-specific programmatic criteria for assessing

the viability of meaningful Volunteer assignments at potential host agencies.


Finalized copy of post’s site development standard operating procedure


Recommendation 4

That the Director of Programming and Training include in post’s site development standard

operating procedures clear processes and project-specific programmatic criteria for assessing the

viability of meaningful Volunteer assignments at potential host agencies.

Concur

Response: As mentioned above in response to Recommendation three, Post will develop a site

development standard operating procedure and will include a focus on viability of meaningful

Volunteer assignments at potential host agencies.

Documents Submitted:

Finalized copy of post’s site development standard operating procedure.



Recommendation 5

That the Director of Programming and Training improve how staff involved in site development

vet and prepare motivated counterparts to engage Volunteers in meaningful work.

Concur

Response: Post understands and appreciates the value of having motivated counterparts with

whom Volunteers can engage with to create meaningful work.

Post plans to continue discussions regarding post’s site development operating procedure

throughout the remainder of the 2017/2018 site development process. Following the placement

of Volunteers in 2018, post intends to conduct a full review of the 2017/2018 site development

process to finalize post’s site development standard operating procedure and site development

strategy. Within each of these documents, there will be guidance in regard to the vetting and

preparation of counterparts.


Finalized copy of post’s site development standard operating procedure

Finalized copy of post’s site development strategy

Communication and implementation plan


Recommendation 6

That the Country Director and Director of Programming and Training assess the alignment of

staff roles and responsibilities so that program staff focus more of their time of program

management rather than addressing issues with Volunteer housing and host families.

Concur

Response: The Country Director and Director of Programming and Training, in consultation

with the programming and training team, will complete a review of staff roles and functions to

ensure that the structure of the office is best suited to supporting current needs of Volunteers.


Updated Organizational Chart (if applicable)

New and revised statements of work (if applicable)

Overview of the assessment post completed

Status and Timeline for Completion: September 30, 2018

Recommendation 7

That the Director of Programming and Training and the programming and training team analyze

tasks performed during service by community organizational development, English education,

and health education Volunteers and provide appropriate practical skills training during pre-

service training.


Concur

Response: In 2017, post identified that for TEFL and Health Volunteers, many of the technical

sessions related to working in school such as classroom management and lesson planning, could

be delayed until after swearing-in to account for the long summer which Volunteers encounter

when first arriving at their site. To this end, many of these technical sessions were held until IST

(typically delivered in the late summer) so that the content of the trainings would be fresh in

Volunteers’ minds. Additionally, throughout the fall of 2017 the director of programming and

training has worked with the training manager and program managers to identify gaps in post’s

training and ensure that each sector’s training program fully prepares Trainees for service. This

has included revisiting feedback from the 2017 PST, consulting with Volunteers, and reviewing

materials from previous trainings.


2018 PST Calendar of Training Events

2018 PST Calendar of Training Events for each sector

Relevant 2018 PST session outlines for each sector

2017 IST Schedule

Notes from roundtable discussion regarding PST 2018

Relevant 2017 IST session outlines for each sector

Status and Timeline for Completion: April 15, 2018

Recommendation 8 That the Country Director develop a plan to improve intercultural training in consultation with

overseas programming and training support staff from headquarters.

Concur

Response: As part of preparations for the 2018 Pre-Service Training the Director of

Programming and Training, Training Manager, and Language and Culture Coordinator will

evaluate post’s culture training program, make revisions, and consult with headquarters staff as

necessary.


PST Calendar of Training Events

PST session outlines demonstrating intercultural training

Meeting notes from consultation with headquarters staff


Recommendation 9

That the Country Director develop a plan to address Volunteers’ negative coping strategies such

as alcohol abuse by promoting resiliency and positive coping strategies.


Concur

Response: Post discussed the OIG findings regarding substance abuse at an offsite staff retreat

and identified some strategies and objectives for the 2018 Annual Plan. Post has continued to

develop a multi-pronged strategy to impact Volunteer resiliency and optimize positive coping

strategies. The plan include Peace Corps Medical Officer and/or Safety Security Manager Site

visits, strengthening communication with Volunteers on the issue via emails from the CD,

resiliency trainings, and utilizing the Volunteer Advisory Committee and Peer Support Network

to advance the importance of the issue with Volunteers.


Calendar of site visits completed by PCMO and SSM

Calendar of anchor activities and communications toolkit

CD letter to Invitees

IST session plan led by PCMOs at the IST in July 2017

Minutes from the VAC Meeting October 2017

Summary of relevant conversation from the Peer Support Network Training

October 2017

PST session plans for Volunteer Resiliency workshop during PST 2018


Recommendation 10

That the Director of Programming and Training and programming staff uniformly define primary

and secondary activities following the definition provided in the Programming, Training, and

Evaluation Guidance.

Concur

Response: To support this recommendation, post will develop and finalize the definition of

primary and secondary activities, and ensure communication to all PCVs and staff.


Notes from meeting discussing primary and secondary activities

Memo issued by Director of Programming and Training to Programming and

Training staff outlining the definition of primary and secondary activities.

Status and Timeline for Completion: December 31, 2017

Recommendation 11

That the Director of Programming and Training and education program team review the

education project to clarify the role of co-teaching and expand the range of primary activities

contribution to the project goals.


Concur Response: In 2018, post intends to host a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting for the

TEFL sector to address the status of the project and discuss additional ways that post can address

the needs of Albania.

In September 2017, the post led a Student Friendly Schools IST for TEFL and it was an

opportunity for experiential learning together with counterparts on how to co-teach. Along with

the PAC meeting mentioned above, post intends to hold internal conversations, hold discussions

with other similarly sized and structured posts, and other sources to identify areas in which post

can clarify the role of co-teaching and expand the range of primary activities.


Notes from Project Advisory Committee meeting

Schedule for the Student Friendly School IST held in September 2017


Recommendation 12

That the Country Director, Director of Programming and Training, and education program manager

re-assess post’s participation in the Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate program with

input from staff in Overseas Programming and Training Support.

Concur

Response: In 2014 and 2015 post received training and aligned its staffing model in anticipation

of implementing the TEFL Certificate Project in March 2016. However, in early 2016 post made

the strategic decision not to implement the project in order to focus on other aspects of Volunteer

support and program management.

In response to this recommendation, post will consult with other Peace Corps posts which have

implemented the project and with the office of Overseas Programming and Training Support to

determine whether the project aligns with post’s current goals and strategy.

Additionally, post will hold internal discussions on the value of the TEFL Certificate Project

based on post staff’s knowledge of the program, including its benefits and drawbacks, from staff

experience in being trained to implement the program.


Notes from conversations with other Peace Corps posts and the office of Overseas

Programming and Training Support

Notes from internal meetings on the value of the TEFL Certificate Project

Final decision memo on post’s decision to implement the TEFL Certificate

Project

Status and Timeline for Completion: June 30, 2018


Recommendation 13 That the Training Manager improve participatory analysis for community action training.

Concur

Response: Throughout the fall of 2017, the DPT has worked with the training manager to

identify areas where post can better reinforce the Peace Corps’ community based approach to

development. For the Pre-Service Training (PST) beginning in January 2018, post will integrate

PACA training into a greater number of sector and cross-cultural training sessions to increase

trainees’ awareness and ability to use PACA tools.

Additionally, post will evaluate its In-Service Training and Mid-Service training curriculum to

identify additional areas of improvement in regard to PACA training.


Updated PST session outlines related to PACA Training

List of suggested changes to IST and MST curriculum and implementation plan

Status and Timeline for Completion: June 30, 2018

Recommendation 14

That the Albania Director of Programming and Training provide programming staff with clear

expectations for cleaning Volunteer reporting form data.

Do not concur Response: Post concurs with the narrative of this report as it relates to the challenges of the

Volunteer Reporting Tool and the burden which it places on the post’s ability to make data

driven decisions as mandated in the 2013-2018 Strategic Plan. Post also believes that is

important to clean the data and to conduct some analysis of the information to ensure it is

optimally meaningful. The Volunteer Reporting Tool is the mechanism the agency has directed

posts to use to collect inputs and outputs of service being conducted by Volunteers.

In order to give the Volunteer Reporting Tool value for the Volunteers who spend time and

resources submitting the forms and to accurately understand the work Volunteers are performing,

the data must be carefully reviewed, cleaned, processed, and compiled. As the Volunteer

Reporting Tool does not lend itself to streamlined data submissions, post staff are required to

take additional steps to ensure the data is cleaned and usable by post and Peace Corps

Washington. The Agency also addressed this issue with the Office of Inspector General when

this report was in the preliminary phase and expressed that this recommendation should not be

addressed to post.


N/A

Status and Timeline for Completion: N/A


Recommendation 15

That the Country Director arrange for all staff in PC/Albania be trained on how to use coaching

in Volunteer Support.

Concur

Response: Post has been working with Region and Office of Programming and Training Support

(OPATS) on a coaching training. Post views this as also tying directly to the Recommendation 9

and view this three-day training more comprehensively as a Volunteer Resiliency Training. The

training will be conducted by OPATS and will be for all Program Staff and a majority of our

team members to further develop the Volunteer support techniques of post staff.


The agenda for the training including dates and names and length of sessions

Complete list of participants from the Post

Status and Timeline for Completion: December 30, 2017

Recommendation 16

That the Country Director require post staff to collect GPS data for all Volunteers, and the DPT

incorporate collecting GPS data into its site development standard operating procedures.

Concur

Response: GPS data was previously optional on Post site contact form because the information

was collected by staff in the final stages of housing confirmation. GPS data is then uploaded to

Post VIDA records. Post has done an audit of this and has additionally uploaded all GPS data

into our contact records for Volunteers so it is now accessible by phone contact records. Post will

update the site development policy to include collection of this data and ensure it is: in site

contact records (removing optional), and in VIDA and in contact records within a specific

timeframe following swearing-in.


Copy of all currently serving PCVs contact records with GPS data included by

Copy of updated site contact form

Copy or revised Post Site Development Standard Operating Procedure

Email to staff on the revised site development policy/procedure


Recommendation 17

That the Country Director produce a communications plan for clarifying the whereabouts and

travel policies.


Concur

Response: In addition to providing whereabouts policy to Invitees prior to departure, covering

policies and procedures in PST, providing the written Service Handbook, the quiz on the

materials, and the reiteration in all Staff Notes going out to Volunteers about Whereabouts, Post

is working on a document that will show in brief the different types of leave and relevant

information. Post is creating this with members of Volunteer Advisory Council (VAC) and other

Volunteers. Post will summarize this communications into a communication plan as requested by

OIG.


Travel policy 2 page summary

Communication plan outlining the communications that occur related to travel

and whereabouts


Recommendation 18

That the Director of Counseling and Outreach develop a plan to support post’s Peace Corps

medical officers to build their capacity and confidence to respond to or address Volunteers’

mental health care needs.

Concur

Response: Current Albania PCMOs have received formal and informal training in supporting the

mental health needs of Volunteers. Both PCMOs attended Overseas Staff Training (OST) in

2017 and engaged in COU-led trainings that covered topics including trauma informed care,

basic support skills, normal adjustment and common emotional issues, resilience, psychiatric

emergencies, and understanding and assessing alcohol use. These skills were reviewed at the

2017 Continuing Medical Education (CME) conferences and numerous opportunities for

experiential learning and role playing were provided. Albania PCMOs will attend the 2018

CME conferences and engage in several hours of COU-led formal training specific to supporting

Volunteer mental health.

Additionally, Albania PCMOs have engaged in frequent and ongoing informal consultation

related to the mental health needs of Volunteers. The PCMOs reach out to COU regularly for

case consultation and support via phone, Skype, or email. During an Office of Medical Services

(OMS) site visit in August 2017, HQ medical staff discussed mental health cases with PCMOs in

person and modeled live supportive interactions with Volunteers. With COU guidance and

support, the Albania Post is also actively searching for a new in-country mental health provider,

as the prior provider no longer resides in Albania.


COU OST materials

COU CME 2017 materials

Position Description for in-country mental health provider


Status and Timeline for Completion: Completed, August 2017

Recommendation 19

That the Peace Corps Medical Officers complete a medical action plan.

Concur

Response: Post had a medical audit in August that the Peace Corps Medical Officers were

preparing for when the OIG Program Evaluation was conducted. The medical action plan was

completed before the medical audit, submitted to the medical evaluation team and approved

during their evaluation.


Medical Action Plan

Status and Timeline for Completion: Completed, August 2017.

Recommendation 20

That the Country Director explore new ways to raise Volunteer and trainee awareness of the

quality nurse line.

Concur

Response: In addition to the current practices listed below, post will begin to include a message

about the quality nurse in communications from the medical team. Post will also add contact

information to the “important contact info” in the Service Handbook distributed to all

Volunteers.

The current practices at post include providing information at PST, having posters up at the Pre-

Service Training Hub, in the medical unit, and in the Volunteer Lounge, and in addition to the

Country Director and PCMOs recommending to Volunteers directly and through Volunteer

Advisory Committee to reach out to the Quality Nurse.


Email documentation of inclusion of info about Quality Nurse in emails from

medical unit to PCVs by January 30, 2018

Service Handbook phone list with contact info for Quality Nurse by March 30,

2018

Status and Timeline for Completion: March 30, 2018

Recommendation 21

That the Director of Management and Operations conduct a market basket survey and living

allowance survey and determine if an adjustment to Volunteer’s living allowances in higher cost

sites is justified.


Concur Response: Post gave an 8.7% living allowance increase to all Volunteers that was effective in

October 2017. Post will conduct the annual living allowance and a market basket surveys in

2018. Post will consider this data as done every year to determine any adjustments that post

requests for PC/Albania Volunteers.


Analysis of market basket survey from 2018

Analysis of living allowance survey from 2018

Decision memo regarding potential of tiered living allowance

Status and Timeline for Completion: December 2018

Recommendation 22

That the Country Director and Director of Management and Operations evaluate whether

settling-in allowances should be changed to reflect different living situations and act accordingly.

Concur Response: Post will collect settling in allowance information from the most recently sworn-in

group of Volunteers, and conduct an analysis of this data to determine if post should change

settling in allowances based on different living situations.


Results from settling in allowance information

Conclusion and course of direction as determined by post regarding settling in

allowance

Status and Timeline for Completion: March 1, 2018


APPENDIX E: OIG COMMENTS

Management concurred with 21 of 22 recommendations, but did not concur with

recommendation 14, which we closed. Twenty recommendations, numbers 1-13, 15-18, and 20-

22, remain open. In its response, management described actions it is taking or intends to take to

address the issues that prompted each of our recommendations. We wish to note that in closing

recommendations, we are not certifying that the agency has taken these actions or that we have

reviewed their effect. Certifying compliance and verifying effectiveness are management’s

responsibilities. However, when we feel it is warranted, we may conduct a follow-up review to

confirm that action has been taken and to evaluate the impact.

OIG will review and consider closing recommendations 1-10, 12-13, 15-17, and 20-22 when the

documentation reflected in the OIG’s comments and the agency’s response to the preliminary

report is received. For recommendations 11 and 18, additional documentation is required. These

recommendations remain open pending confirmation from the chief compliance officer that the

documentation reflected in our analysis below is received. OIG closed recommendation 19 based

on documentation submitted and reviewed.

11: That the director for programming and training and education program team review

the education project to clarify the role of co-teaching and expand the range of primary

activities contributing to the project goals.

Concur Response: In 2018, post intends to host a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting for the

TEFL sector to address the status of the project and discuss additional ways that post can address

the needs of Albania.

In September 2017, the post led a Student Friendly Schools IST for TEFL and it was an

opportunity for experiential learning together with counterparts on how to co-teach. Along with

the PAC meeting mentioned above, post intends to hold internal conversations, hold discussions

with other similarly sized and structured posts, and other sources to identify areas in which post

can clarify the role of co-teaching and expand the range of primary activities.


Notes from Project Advisory Committee meeting

Schedule for the Student Friendly School IST held in September 2017


OIG Analysis: Additional documentation demonstrating how post is implementing an

expanded range of primary activities for TEFL Volunteers is necessary. This

documentation could include a decision memo or technical training session plans

showing how staff are preparing Volunteers to perform an expanded range of primary

activities. If the post updates the TEFL project framework to mention additional

activities, it could also be submitted.


14: That the director of programming and training provide programming staff with clear

expectations for cleaning Volunteer reporting form data.

Do not concur Response: Post concurs with the narrative of this report as it relates to the challenges of the

Volunteer Reporting Tool and the burden which it places on the post’s ability to make data

driven decisions as mandated in the 2013-2018 Strategic Plan. Post also believes that is

important to clean the data and to conduct some analysis of the information to ensure it is

optimally meaningful. The Volunteer Reporting Tool is the mechanism the agency has directed

posts to use to collect inputs and outputs of service being conducted by Volunteers.

In order to give the Volunteer Reporting Tool value for the Volunteers who spend time and

resources submitting the forms and to accurately understand the work Volunteers are performing,

the data must be carefully reviewed, cleaned, processed, and compiled. As the Volunteer

Reporting Tool does not lend itself to streamlined data submissions, post staff are required to

take additional steps to ensure the data is cleaned and usable by post and Peace Corps

Washington. The Agency also addressed this issue with the Office of Inspector General when

this report was in the preliminary phase and expressed that this recommendation should not be

addressed to post.


N/A

Status and Timeline for Completion: N/A

OIG Analysis: In its response, the agency did not concur with OIG’s recommendation

that the director of programming and training provide staff with clear expectations for

cleaning Volunteer report form data. The agency acknowledged that the finding

accurately represented the issue of staff’s efforts to clean Volunteer reporting form data.

The agency maintains that post staff “are required to take additional steps to ensure the

data is cleaned and usable by post and Peace Corps Washington.”

As presented in the report, agency MRE specialists stated that guidance for overseas staff

on how to correct inaccurately reported activities data and indictor data did not exist.

According to one headquarters staff member: “Each post, depending on the complexity of

their project and what indicators Volunteers potentially report on, handles this tabulation

flaw in different ways.” OIG made further inquiries after receiving the response from the

post and received a link to specific data cleaning guidance that validates post’s response.

This guidance was not accessible from the agency’s Volunteer Reporting Tool Resources

Center webpage, but was located on another webpage. According to the Data Cleaning

Guidance, there is a requirement for post staff to undertake what appears to OIG to be an

onerous amount of effort to clean VRF data and reconcile discrepancies between

activities data and indictor data.


Although OIG is closing this recommendation to Peace Corps/Albania, we remain

concerned about the effect that these data cleaning efforts are having on posts. OIG

closes this recommendation with the intention of further examining this issue and

providing the results of its review in a subsequent report to the agency.

18: That the director of counseling and outreach develop a plan to support Peace

Corps/Albania’s medical officers to build their capacity and confidence to respond to or

address Volunteers’ mental health care needs.

Concur

Response: Current Albania PCMOs have received formal and informal training in supporting the

mental health needs of Volunteers. Both PCMOs attended Overseas Staff Training (OST) in

2017 and engaged in COU-led trainings that covered topics including trauma informed care,

basic support skills, normal adjustment and common emotional issues, resilience, psychiatric

emergencies, and understanding and assessing alcohol use. These skills were reviewed at the

2017 Continuing Medical Education (CME) conferences and numerous opportunities for

experiential learning and role playing were provided. Albania PCMOs will attend the 2018 CME

conferences and engage in several hours of COU-led formal training specific to supporting

Volunteer mental health.

Additionally, Albania PCMOs have engaged in frequent and ongoing informal consultation

related to the mental health needs of Volunteers. The PCMOs reach out to COU regularly for

case consultation and support via phone, Skype, or email. During an Office of Medical Services

(OMS) site visit in August 2017, HQ medical staff discussed mental health cases with PCMOs in

person and modeled live supportive interactions with Volunteers. With COU guidance and

support, the Albania Post is also actively searching for a new in-country mental health provider,

as the prior provider no longer resides in Albania.


COU OST materials

COU CME 2017 materials

Position Description for in-country mental health provider

Status and Timeline for Completion: Completed, August 2017

OIG Analysis: Additional documentation is required from the director of counseling and

outreach which documents their future plans to support Peace Corps/Albania’s medical

officers in responding to the mental health care needs of Volunteers.


APPENDIX F: PROGRAM EVALUATION COMPLETION AND

OIG CONTACT

PROGRAM

EVALUATION

COMPLETION

This program evaluation was conducted under the

direction of Assistant Inspector General for Evaluations

Jerry Black by Senior Evaluator Kristine Hoffer

Additional contributions were made by Senior Evaluator

Kaitlyn Large and Evaluations Apprentice Alexandra

Miller.

OIG CONTACT Following issuance of the final report, a stakeholder

satisfaction survey will be distributed to agency

stakeholders. If you wish to comment on the quality or

usefulness of this report to help us improve our products,

please contact Assistant Inspector General for Evaluations

Jerry Black and at [email protected] or

202.692.2912.

Help Promote the Integrity, Efficiency, and

Effectiveness of the Peace Corps

Anyone knowing of wasteful practices, abuse, mismanagement,

fraud, or unlawful activity involving Peace Corps programs or

personnel should contact the Office of Inspector General. Reports or

complaints can also be made anonymously.

Contact OIG

Reporting Hotline:

U.S./International: 202.692.2915

Toll-Free (U.S. only): 800.233.5874

Email: [email protected]

Online Reporting Tool: PeaceCorps.gov/OIG/ContactOIG

Mail: Peace Corps Office of Inspector General

P.O. Box 57129

Washington, D.C. 20037-7129

For General Information:

Main Office: 202.692.2900

Website: peacecorps.gov/OIG

Twitter: twitter.com/PCOIG

http://www.peacecorps.gov/OIG/ContactOIG

http://www.peacecorps.gov/OIG

https://twitter.com/PCOIG